Cincinnati Magazine - July 2023 Edition

Shine Bright

Keep your skin healthy and glowing with these summer skin tips from the Mona Dermatology provider team.

Taylor Wojniak, CNP

“During summer months, the sun and heat can dry our skin out if we don’t hydrate properly. Although you may feel more oily at times in the summer, it’s still important to keep skin hydrated with a good moisturizer and make a point to increase water intake.”

Alexandra Bowles, DO “With summer upon us, my biggest tip is to make sunscreen a part of your daily routine. Sunscreen helps prevent skin cancer, reverse signs of aging, and improve hyperpigmentation.”

Anna Luning, CNP

“Antioxidants are vital for your summer skin care routine to protect your skin from increased UV exposure, which is also the number one cause of aging in the skin. My favorite is Skinceuticals Silymarin!”

Brooke Stinnette, RN

“Don’t neglect your neck; future you will thank you! Be sure to extend the application of any skincare products, SPF included, to your neck daily.”

This Summer

Megan Niese, PA-C

“Limit sun exposure during the strongest time of day, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. When you are out, a nice option in addition to your sunscreen is to wear UPF clothing block ultraviolet rays.”

Mona S. Foad, MD

“With summer comes more sun exposure: my go-to sunscreen for protecting against sun damage is Colorescience Glow. I also love doing tightening treatments, like Sofwave, EmFace, or Thermage, in the summer because sun exposure is not a factor.”

Jessica Watkins, PA-C

“For summer, go shopping for a new hat you’re excited to wear! Then, stash a small sunscreen in your typical places so that you won’t be stuck without it when you exposure. Think your purses, car,

P. 34

THE GOLD STANDARD

You’re the winner, winner with all these chicken dinners! Plus, we uncover the secrets of Indiana fried chicken and find eight cluckin’ awesome wing joints.

THEIR JOURNEY IS GOING FORWARD P. 48

Transgender youth and their families face heavy challenges, from confusion and despair to disinformation and political pressure. Treatment at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center helps many of them begin planning for a new future.

OPENING DOORS TO A BETTER FUTURE IN GUATEMALA P. 52

For 27 years, Cincinnati-based Cooperative for Education has worked to break the country’s cycle of poverty one book, one computer, and one scholar at a time.

Join us at the historic Peterloon Estate for a chic yet casual evening picnic.

Explore the grounds, sample curated picnic treats from local restaurants, enjoy a cocktail on the terrace, or play croquet in the sunken garden with your friends.

14 / CONTRIBUTORS

14 / LETTER FROM THE EDITOR

FRONTLINES

17 / DISPATCH

An entirely new vision for Madame Butterfly

18 / SPEAK EASY

Chelsie Walter unites

Women of Cincy

18 / SPORTS

A Gold Cup soccer doubleheader

20 / STYLE COUNSEL

Idlewild stylist Sarah Evans

22 / HOMEGROWN

Tape resist pottery from Mathew Plays With Fire

24 / GREAT ROOM Inside the Somerset library

26 / DR. KNOW

Your QC questions answered

COLUMNS

28 / WELCOME TO MIDDLEHOOD

What it means to appreciate a brother

BY JUDI KETTELER

96 / CINCY OBSCURA

The Marianne Theater, Bellevue BY LAUREN FISHER

DINE

66 / OFF THE MENU

A resurgence of German restaurants

70 / LUNCHBOX

Bandito Food Park + Cantina, Columbia-Tusculum

70 / TABLESIDE

WITH…

Wine educator Yvette Simpson

72 / PANTRY

Country Fresh Farm Market & Wine Depot, Anderson Twp.

74 / FIELD NOTES

Down the Road Spice Co.

76 / DINING GUIDE

Greater Cincinnati restaurants: A selective list

ON THE COVER photograph by MARLENE ROUNDS

FOOD NEWS

An extra serving of our outstanding dining coverage.

CITY NEWS

Decoding our civic DNA, from history to politics to personalities.

HOME + LIFE

Tracking what’s new in local real estate, artisans, and storefronts. SPORTS Insight and analysis on the Reds and FC Cincinnati.

As a Cincinnati-based team with 55+ years of combined experience, we help everyone from executives and business owners to retirees and families navigate every step of their financial future.

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Sam Adams

Lauryn Alexander

Henry Anning

Zara Asghar

Christy Baldwin

Gemma Baldwin

Shanaya Bharucha

Logan Bien

Ariane Briquet

Elias Buttress

Ellie Cain

Peter Cha

Jai Chaudhary

Clara Chen

Saahil Chunduri

Cole Cozens

Diairra Daniels

Kai Dasgupta Simpson

Mark DeBlasio

Riley deBuys

Ric DeLyons

Graham DeWitt

Josie Domet

Fionnuala Donovan

Gabe Dorsch

Mallory Dorsch

Ruth Drath

Ella Dubay

Thomas Dunson

Rebekah Elluru

Erin Finn

Sam Froehle

Will Gabriel

Beau Goldstein

Jack Good

Mallory Gravitt

Shahnaz Hassan

Annelise Hawgood

Gigi Hawgood

Simon He

Amos Horner

Jerry Hou

Ainsley Hubert

Pranav Iyer

Dylan Keller-Gray

Will Kersting

Biz Kohnen

Charlotte Lafley

Abigail Li

Garrett Licata

Owen Lutz

Mia Lutz

Mia Mason

Zach Mason

Cat McAndrew

Ashley McLennan

Ryan Meador

George Mentrup

Olivia Morris

Jade Morse

John Mullin

Rohan Nambiar

Jonny Osman

Anna Papakirk

Neel Parameswaran

Ajay Patel

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Henry Paull

Reid Pease

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Happy Quinn

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Saloni Sachdeva

William Setzer

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Jaden Sims

Eli Stanforth

Sky Steinman

Julia Tamai

Edie Tesfaye

Sohana Thompson

Connor Twyford

Kye Uchiyama

Evan VordemEsche

Annalise Wabler

Tanisha Wasan

Will Wiles

Nina Wilhelmy

Carolyn Wolujewicz

Daniel Yi

Eloise Young

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I ATE AT THE GREYHOUND TAVERN FOR THE FIRST TIME A FEW WEEKS AGO WHILE doingfried chicken research for this month’s “Fowl Language” (page 34). I’ve driven on Dixie Highway in Ft. Mitchell a few times before, but I’d never stopped at the tavern. Gaggles of families filled every room, including one dining with what looked to be the parish priest.

Throughout the meal I wondered about the vast number of guests and chickens that had come through the front and back doors, respectively, over the years. I tried picturing the people who used to ride the Green Line streetcar out to Ft. Mitchell and get off at the end of the line right there. I imagined all of the birthdays, weddings, christenings, and funerals that have been memorialized in those rooms.

The tavern felt like a little world of its own spinning in orbit around the city’s core. People who ate at the Greyhound as kids now bring their grandchildren along. Our server seemed like someone who’s worked there his whole life. And while everyone was perfectly pleasant to my wife and me, they clearly hadn’t missed us over the previous 35 years I’ve lived in Cincinnati; their world thrives just fine without us.

I had a similar feeling a few weeks before while visiting a sandwich shop in Deer Park for another research project. I kind of knew where I was going driving there, but not really. And when I settled in, the place was friendly enough, the food was good, and there were Big Red Machine posters and neon Hudy Delight signs on the walls—all the comforts of home. And yet I’d never stepped foot in that neighborhood before.

It’s a little jolting, in a good way, to be reminded that different and distinct worlds exist outside of your own navel-gazing routine—even in a city like Cincinnati, which can often feel homogenized. There are new people, new restaurants, and new experiences to discover in Ft. Mitchell, Deer Park, and a hundred other places if you’ll just look up from your own bellybutton every now and then. GPS can help you get there.

YUKO SHIMIZU

Japan-born illustrator Yuko Shimizu is not the creator of Hello Kitty (common mistake—they share the same name) but she is the creator of this month’s illustration for “A New Flight” (page 17). “The whole idea of [this] Madame Butterfly is Asian creators taking back the narrative,” Simizu says. “So I thought Cio-CioSan raising her fist was a good direction.”

JED PORTMAN

Contributing writer Jed Portman was a food writer and editor for Garden & Gun, but as soon as he moved back to the Queen City, driving to Southern Indiana (“Indiana’s State Bird,” page 44) to pick up fried chicken became a tradition. “It’s a special occasion thing,” he says.

BRIANNA CONNOCK

This month, contributing writer Brianna Connock explores the journey of Mathew Arnold, a local ceramicist, in “Playing with Fire” (page 22). “I really had no idea about how popular pottery is in Cincinnati,” she says. “So it was cool to get that new perspective from him.”

They’re teachers, researchers, and practicing physicians.

If that sounds a bit extraordinary, it’s because it is. The doctors of UC Physicians also serve as faculty for the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine. Meaning that our 1,250 clinical providers are not only discovering the latest therapies—they’re bringing those advancements directly to more than two million patients every year, and training the doctors who will care for you in the future.

It’s been said that “three” is a powerful combination. At the UC College of Medicine, it’s all in a day’s work.

med.uc.edu/indispensable

Our doctors are triple threats.

WOMEN OF CINCY UNITE! P. 18

A NEW FLIGHT

Cincinnati Opera modernizes one of the artform’s iconic stories in a daring world premiere production.

MATTHEW OZAWA’S WORK AS STAGE director for Cincinnati Opera’s 2019 production of Romeo and Juliet impressed Artistic Director Evans Mirageas so much he asked if Ozawa would be interested in directing Madame Butterfly . After pandemic-induced schedule shuffling and some soulsearching, however, the version of Butterfly in Music Hall on July 22, 27, and 29 veers from the original plan.

With Ozawa still at the helm, it’s now a world premiere of a new production designed by Japanese and Japanese American artists, launching here and then going on to coproducing opera companies in Pittsburgh, Utah, and Detroit. Its aim is to present the canonical Butterfly in an entertaining, creative new way, preserving Giacomo Puccini’s music while deemphasizing its racial and gender stereotyping.

The tragic story, with its beautiful music and singing, depicts an American naval officer (Pinkerton), who marries a 15-year-old Japanese girl (Cio-Cio-San, or Madame Butterfly) for convenience until he can return home and find a “proper” wife. When he does so and comes back to tell Butterfly, she kills herself. There’s been a growing concern that the story stereotypes its Japanese characters, as well as women in general, and that productions using white singers as Japanese characters can make

Japanese Americans and others uncomfortable.

“ People in the opera industry have been discussing who owns or has the power to tell these stories, whose stories we’re telling, and diversifying the landscape and our audiences,” says Ozawa, “I realized I could no longer put my Japanese name on something I knew would be alienating to other Asians.” He is fourthgeneration Japanese American; his father was born in a U.S. World War II internment camp for Americans of Japanese descent.

Once Cincinnati Opera’s director of production, Lyla Forlani, arrived from Los Angeles in 2021, she brought her own reservations about Butterfly. “As a woman, there are these incredibly off ensive moments in the storyline,” she says.

rary element to play off of—and create distancing from—the opera’s early 20th century setting. So three Japanese women were chosen to create the production design: scenic designer Kimie Nishikawa, costume designer Maiko Matsushima, and lighting designer Yuki Nakase Link On stage, a commitment was made to mostly have Asian or Asian American actors portray all relevant characters. Karah Son, a native South Korean soprano, plays Cio-Cio-San.

WOMEN’S WORK

Talk It Out

Join a free panel discussion about Madame Butterfly at 7 p.m. July 18 at the Mercantile Library. Reservations are required: cincinnatiopera. org/deia-panel

The opera’s European/ American origins have also become an issue. Its libretto, or text, by Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa is based on an 1898 short story by the American writer John Luther Long, who himself followed an 1887 French novel from Pierre Loti. Long’s story was adapted into a 1900 play that Puccini saw in London. For all the concerns, Ozawa deeply admires Madame Butterfly. “I love the classics and the tradition,” he says. “I care about the artform, and I’m interested in its evolution.”

That meant Ozawa would direct the production, but he wanted a contempo-

The team diagnosed the traditional Butterfly as a white male fantasy about Japanese culture. That realization freed them to reinvent it as a modern fantasy. Pinkerton (English-born tenor Adam Smith) has a small, spare contemporary apartment where he’s fascinated with all things Japanese and VR (virtual reality) video gaming. And that interest leads him into CioCio-San’s story.

However it’s received by audiences, Cincinnati’s new production is a sign that things have changed in the opera world here and elsewhere. “I feel it’s really important, when we do engage with one of the icons of the core repertoire, to not just blindly put it back on stage, but to look at it,” says Mirageas. “And with Butterfly , it’s a response by an opera company that’s really made a commitment to live within its community and to be an exemplar.”

DOUBLE THE KICKS

TQL Stadium hosts an unusual international soccer doubleheader July 9, for one price!

Two Gold Cup quarterfinals match North and Central American and Caribbean countries at 5 and 7:30 p.m. and will likely include the U.S. Men’s National Team and FC Cincinnati players like Brandon Vazquez. concacaf.com/gold-cup

The best ideas often aren’t the ones we agonize over. Some are the result of a whim or a passing thought— like Women of Cincy, which Chelsie Walter launched in 2017 as an Instagram account sharing stories about local women of note. Now it’s a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization dedicated to uplifting women, supported by more 40 volunteers and 34,000 yearly readers. Walter, currently executive director, shares the story of a shoestring group’s quick growth.

Much is said about women finding their “mom groups” and female friends, but is it equally important that women find a support community in the workplace? Women of Cincy is committed to creating more connected, empathetic, and inclusive communities by centering the diverse voices that make up the fabric of our city. We’ve done everything from happy hours to coffee dates, community comedy shows, live music, arcade parties, International Day Women’s celebrations… you name it. We have a directory of womenowned businesses on the website.

Storytelling is such a powerful medium. What kinds of stories

do you share? We have longform Q&As, stories about community, and special series on topics like entrepreneurship and housing insecurity. Our team is run entirely by volunteers—writers, photographers, editors. We also manage a residency program to mentor college-aged students in journalism and communications.

Why is it so important for women to have their stories told and heard? I’ve had the honor of witnessing the struggles, successes, and joys of so many incredible women in our city. They’re often facing injustices in the workplace, at home, in healthcare, in housing, and so much more. Beyond supporting each other in the workplace, it’s equally important to support each other in day-to-day life, at the ballot box, and anywhere we have the power to do so. Time and time again, it’s women who organize, lead, and participate in community building. Our efforts have shaped this city and will continue to move it forward. A brighter, more equitable and connected community is possible if we work together, listen, and love each other along the way.

Sarah Evans

OCCUPATION: Stylist/e-commerce production manager at Idlewild STYLE: “I dress fairly masculine and androgynously, while also trying to show my body and lean into forms.”

What does being a style consultant entail? We take the time to get to know somebody and understand what they’re looking for and style someone for their style, their body type, their general aesthetic, and their day-to-day life. Is there any particular advice you find yourself giving often? When you think about your style and you have all these rules that you have in place, like “I can’t wear this color” or “I can’t wear this shape”—it’s always, “I can’t do something.” I really challenge people to think about that idea and think about who put that idea in their head. Whose set of rules are you following? And do you really care what that person thinks? Where do you think that comes from? I think when you’re younger, there’s a little bit more openness to playing around with style. Which is not to say that there aren’t older people who are really following their own set of rules. The owners of the store are 68, mid-40s, and 32, and all three of them buy for the store, and all of them exclusively shop at the store. I challenge people a lot to look outside their general scope. You had a pretty drastic haircut back in February. What was that change like, going from a full head of curls to a buzzcut? I love my curls, but when I buzzed my head, I felt like I really hit a milestone where I came into my style. I tried on a lot of different hairstyles and nothing felt right, and when I buzzed it, I was like, “This is it.” The cut suits you so well. I love when people dye their hair, but every time I see someone with their natural hair color, I always think, “Man, that looks awesome.” So I thought I felt the same way about hair texture. I thought, “If this is my hair color and this is my hair texture, then clearly it suits me.” And it does, but having it buzzed definitely suits me the best. —JACLYN

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PLAYING WITH FIRE

MATHEW ARNOLD’S TRADEMARK “TAPE RESIST” POTTERY HAS CAPTIVATED ONLINE FANS. AND HE’S JUST HEATING UP. —BRIANNA CONNOCK

MATHEW ARNOLD IS LIVING PROOF THAT IT’S NEVER TOO LATE TO try something new. Just after he turned 40, a friend suggested he stop by Queen City Clay. He had always wanted to try his hand at pottery but had never gotten around to it. “She sat me down and put some clay in front of me and [I realized] I found my thing,” says Arnold, who goes by @mathewplayswithfire on Instagram. “It was instantaneous. It was one of those magical moments where you’re like, This is it.”

Pottery wasn’t Arnold’s first artistic endeavour—as a musi-

merizing videos have helped launch his work to new heights. His Instagram has nearly 100,000 followers and his pieces, which he releases only a few times each year, sell within minutes. But for Arnold, it’s not work. He’s just doing what he loves.

The method Arnold uses is known as tape resist. While he didn’t invent it, his meticulousness and time spent researching the best kind of tape made him stand out. “What I was doing seemed to be different enough that people started to take notice,” Arnold says. “I thought anybody could do this, but I must have a knack for some of that spacing and line work.”

Using detailing tape, often used for airbrushing cars and motorcycles, Arnold creates pieces with intricate designs inspired by Mid-Century Modern influences and, of all things, circuit boards.

UP

INTERLACING VESSEL

Meticulous taping and multiple rounds of slow-drying helped Arnold achieve this interlocking pattern.

“NOT QUITE ELECTRIC” CUP

Geometric pieces like these take cues from circuit boards, which have long-fascinated the artist.

cian, he’s spent a lot of time in recording studios—but the connection to clay felt different. “[Music] was fun and I loved it,” he says. “But it just wasn’t the same.”

Arnold was soon taking vacation time just to head to the studio and throw clay. When the COVID-19 pandemic hit and he found himself without a job and plenty of free time, he dedicated himself to clay, documenting his work on social media. Five years later, Arnold’s mes-

“If you’ve ever looked at a circuit board, there is something kind of beautiful about them,” says Arnold, who studied electrical engineering at the University of Cincinnati. “They follow rules, but they also look like chaos at the same time.”

This concept of trying to control chaos is how Arnold describes his own methods of creation. He loves to make rules for himself—and then he figures out new ways to break them. “If you don’t push things too far,” he says, “you’ll never know how far you can push things.”

WOOD-FIRED VESSEL

It took a whole team of helpers— and 30 hours of constant wood kiln-feeding—to fire this unique vase.

GEOMETRIC JAR

Stoneware pieces like this one are bisque-fired before Arnold’s hours-long process of taping begins.

KEEP IT ROLLING

CHANGE OF SEASONS

Somerset is typically a warm weather bar, but the working fireplace in the lounge draws crowds in the winter. The room, like every other space here, changes with the seasons.

T’S A HEFTY TASK TO PICK JUST space to talk about at a place like Somerset. There’s the vaulted greenhouse of a bar that consumes the ness. You could talk about the towering trance; or the tram car seating area ows with over 500 live plants. But it’s the library lounge that’s the true unsung hero of the OTR hotspot. “The lounge is really intended to be a counterpoint to the rest of Somerset,” says James Fisher, the tainly cozier and more mature, but also a step down in terms of energy level.” the lounge is home to a curated collection of pieces from Fisher’s lifetime of traveling. And the whole “library” thing isn’t just for clout. People can and do borrow from the shelves. “At first, we put a lot of cally added ries, or cultural references at Somerset,” Fisher says. But since word has gotten out, the lounge has evolved past its status as a mere sitting room for sipping drinks—today, you’ll find a space that’s all about global community. The drinks are just the cherry on top.

I’ve only just learned that in the 1970s Cincinnati had a nudist colony! How was this possible? We’re the city that jailed Larry Flynt and raided adult movies during those years. It’s not that I wanted to go to a nudist camp, I just don’t understand how one survived in Cincinnati for so long.

nudist facilities are attended by people who simply enjoy nature au naturele. Maybe that’s why Paradise Gardens, the “family nudist resort” in Colerain Township, never once got busted by Hamilton County’s famously aggressive authorities during its almost 50 years of operation. Strict membership screening and rules of behavior made the 34-acre resort attractive to families, couples, and even singles (kept to a limited number). Rather than any legal issues, declining membership was why Paradise Gardens closed in 2017.

Cincinnati old-timers will recall a popular downtown restaurant at Sixth and Vine streets called Paradise Gardens. It closed several years before the resort opened, so there were never any confused patrons arriving au naturele for lunch. That, without doubt, would have inspired a visit from Hamilton County’s finest.

At a recent benefit concert, I saw the famed pianist Emanuel Ax receive one of those Mayoral proclamations: “Today is Emanuel Ax Day in Cincinnati!” It made me wonder if the city has a database of every time this honor has been bestowed over Cincinnati’s 200-plus year history. Does it? —I DO DECLARE

DEAR DO:

Your question sparks additional questions: When a celebrity or dignitary visits, do we trot out the old “I hereby proclaim today as [Your Name Here] Day in Cincinnati,” or do we instead give them a Key to the City? Is it legal to do both? Is someone insulted if we only do one? Oh, the pressure!

DEAR NEKKID:

Anyone who has ever attended a nudist resort will affirm: The people you see there are mostly not the people you hoped to see there. Any man worried about experiencing a “guy problem” will quickly not worry. Contrary to most people’s imaginations—yours, perhaps—

Not wishing to overly stress our Mayor’s office, the Doctor submitted just your question. We were assured that Mayor Aftab Pureval keeps full records of every Proclamation and Key to the City he has bestowed. Past honors, however, might require archival research reminiscent of that final scene in Raiders of the Lost Ark. Cincinnati has presented proclamations and/or keys to a wide diversity of guests over the years: Rosa Parks, Dave

Brubeck, Robert Redford, Jesse Jackson, Henry Kissinger, and even Lassie (in both 1967 and 2003). Sadly, a full database of recipients seems not to exist. Should one ever be created, we hope it notes that Cincinnati’s world-famous fugitive cow received the honor in 2002 and expressed no gratitude whatsoever.

At the main entrance to the School for Creative and Performing Arts on Central Parkway, there are several little yellow stickers on the sidewalk—tiny arrows coming from different directions that point to the front doors. Do SCPA students need help finding the entrance? The doors are pretty big. —ME AND MY ARROWS

DEAR ME:

Books and seminars that teach methods and practices for being more creative invariably tell us to be eternally observant. Notice everything around you! Inspiration is everywhere! The Doctor congratulates you for your dedication to this fundamental practice! There is no better way to delight in the stunning variety of our fascinating world than to stare straight down at the sidewalk.

Rest assured, students and parents at the School for Creative and Performing Arts need no special assistance when arriving at their elegantly designed entrance. Not anymore, at least. The arrow stickers you observed (good eye!) were placed there in late 2020, when public schools began to reopen after the COVID-19 shutdown. To better handle the flow of people as they suffered the various administrative indignities none of us wish to remember now, only one of the three sets of doors was unlocked. The arrows showed which doors to use.

The Doctor thanks you for reminding us to always be on the lookout for life’s little enchantments. Be sure to let us know the next time you happen upon an empty gum wrapper.

WELCOME TO MIDDLEHOOD

Oh Brother: My Letter

WHY MY DAUGHTER WILL COME TO APPRECIATE HER ANNOYING BROTHER SOMEDAY.

DEAR GEORGIA,

You asked the other day, exasperated, “What is the point of brothers? Why can’t I have a sister?” I don’t remember exactly what your brother was doing to exasperate you. Twelveyear-old sisters are an easy mark for 14-year-old brothers to annoy. He was probably telling bad jokes or offering you terrible advice. Or maybe he was just being that shade of irritating he’s perfected.

A brother is an interesting thing. I should know, I grew up with three of them. Four of them, if you count the brother-in-law I’ve known since I was just a little bit younger than you. Five if you count the one I’ve known since I was just a little bit older than you.

These uncles of yours, who float around at family gatherings, sometimes getting banished to the corner of the yard with their smelly cigars, must seem like old men to you,

with their gray beards and joint replacement surgeries. But you didn’t see them with their full heads of dark hair, holding the babies.

You roll your eyes at the stories they tell. Don’t get me wrong. Their stories are eyeroll-worthy. But isn’t that what a brother does, no matter if he’s 10 or 64? The little provocations and inside jokes. The memory of getting away with it. The shared past. There’s such genuine affection, which could be hard to spot because it doesn’t look the same as with sisters.

I can see why you would want a sister. I also have three of them. But there’s no mystery as to what my sisters are to me. I see them all the time. I talk to them all the time. One lives far away, but the two who are here are permanent fixtures in my life. In your life, too, because you see your aunts frequently. You shop with them and try to teach them TikTok dances.

I’ve told you, I’m sure, that I grew up idolizing them. I followed them around, tried on their clothes, snuck their makeup, and watched their television shows. I was a kid and they were teenagers, and I wanted to be them.

I’ve elevated sisterhood because it’s been a driving force in shaping my identity. But it’s possible I’ve shortchanged the value of brothers.

I’ve assumed you just knew it. That it was easily observable. But it occurs to me that I need to answer the question: What’s a brother in this world?

A BROTHER CAN BE A COMPANION LIKE NO OTHER. Uncle Tony is the brother closest to me in age. The sibling closest to me in age, for that matter. We were born in 1970 and 1974, the last two in the long line. The tailbone of the family. I was the baby, and he was the one we joke was kind of forgotten, because there are scant baby pictures of him. It’s as if he just emerged a pasty-legged 8-year-old with a mop of curly hair.

To say we were best buddies would be an overstatement. It’s more like the rest of the family was busy. The oldest was already married. Everyone had jobs or went to a magical place called High School.

But Tony and I had bikes, and we had the shows The Greatest American Hero and Super Friends. We spent entire summer afternoons trying to CONTINUED ON PAGE 33

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activate our Wonder Twins powers. With my sisters, it was always about wanting to be a grown-up so I could be like them. But with Tony, it was play and imagination and the sense that there was nowhere else I needed to be. Years later, when I was in my thirties and took your grandparents to England, Tony decided to fly to Belgium for a few days (he worked for the airlines) and meet us in London for part of the trip.

I’ve never been happier to see anyone than I was the morning his Eurostar train pulled into the station. My parents had been driving me crazy. I’m sure you can relate.

I needed a partner in this endeavor of escorting elderly people around a foreign country. And there he was, my Wonder Twin. Things aren’t obvious with brothers, but then they show up and you feel like everything is going to be all right.

A BROTHER IS THE PERFECT PERSON TO ARGUE WITH. I vaguely remember when your Uncle Herb, the oldest in the family—Old

twenties.

We would catch up for five minutes and then argue politics for two hours. What is more perfect than a good-natured, intelligent political argument just when you’re at the height of developing your ideology?

As a young leftist, I learned things from those arguments. Sure, I came away from each conversation thinking something along the lines of, Herb could not even be more wrong! But that time we spent listening to each other matters.

It helps that your Uncle Old Boy doesn’t take himself too seriously and would rather just make a fart joke. You can always count on him for fart jokes, no matter how old he is. Maybe that’s actually what I’m trying to say.

A BROTHER-IN-LAW CAN ADD THE THINGS YOU DIDN’T KNOW THE FAMILY NEEDED. What’s the difference between a brother and a brother-in-law when the history is nearly as long? The answer, I’m pretty sure, is that there’s no difference.

I was 9 when your Aunt Laura met Un-

because he saw the opportunity here.

I learned something that day, too. It may have been the first time I thought about what it would be like to grow up in a place with banana trees and the comfort of your family and then move to a place where you didn’t know anyone and had to speak a language not your own and make a life.

What a gift he’s been to this family so rooted on the hillsides around the Ohio River. You just never know when a brother can make you see the world a little differently.

A BROTHER CAN DIE WITHOUT YOU EVER UNDERSTANDING THEM. OK, my girl, I can’t avoid talking about the absent brother any longer. You never knew your Uncle Paul. He died the year before you were born, when he was 49, which is the age I’m about to turn.

I’ve learned so much about substance use disorder in the years since he died. I had all the wrong language back then: addict, failure, loser. Listen, Paul was a difficult person from the start, nearly impossible to live with. But if he were a teenager now, he’d have a diagnosis and a therapist and Zoloft and a 504 plan.

Boy, as you’ve heard us call him—got married in 1981.

That he was gone from our house doesn’t really register with me, because I don’t remember him there. Where did he even sleep in our tiny ranch house?

Uncle Herb and I have very little shared childhood. I know that’s not something you can relate to, because you and your brother are just two years apart. But there’s something I want you to remember: Someday, you and your brother will be adults. And you’ll have to get to know each other as adults, and don’t underestimate how fun that can be.

I got to know Herb through our regular Brother Sister Calls. I think these phone calls started when I was in college, though I remember them more as the stuff of my

cle Mike. His extrovert energy was a whole new thing. He was the guy who would go somewhere and know everyone by the time he left; he’s still like that. It’s great to have a brother like that.

Uncle Mike’s own family was very different from ours. He had a teenage mother, a father he never knew, grandparents who practically raised him, and a stepfather he worked hard to build a relationship with. He’s lost them all now. But we’ve claimed him. Who do you think Uncle Herb smokes cigars with?

It was different with your Uncle Manuel. I was in college when Aunt Nancy married him. Remember, in first grade, when you did the project on Costa Rica and interviewed him? You learned that he came to the U.S. for college and decided to stay

Still, you can’t superimpose where we are now with how things used to be. That’s the worst part of it all. We know so much better now. Your generation, if you can make it through this mental health crisis, will be miles ahead in empathy.

Make sure to extend that empathy to the people you love, especially to your brother. Nothing works without empathy. I wish I would have understood that earlier in my life.

I’ve given you this long, complicated answer to the question about what a brother is. But for you, the answer is a bit simpler: Your brother is your only partner in this project of being our kid. I predict that will be important someday, even if you can’t see the shape of that relationship now.

Hold the space for it to form and safeguard it with your shared memories. And, of course, with fart jokes.

Love, Mom

YOU NEVER KNOW WHEN A BROTHER CAN MAKE YOU SEE THE WORLD A LITTLE DIFFERENTLY. AND YOU CAN ALWAYS COUNT ON THEM FOR FART JOKES, NO MATTER HOW OLD THEY ARE.

LANGUAGE LANGUAGE LANGUAGE FOWL FOWL

Boomtown Biscuits & Whiskey

9039 U.S. 42, UNION, (859) 384-5910, BOOMTOWNBISCUITSANDWHISKEY.COM

Chicken and waffles is almost passé at this point. But when Christian Gill is in the kitchen, expect something sensational. His Southern restaurant is best known for its biscuits (which are in the name, after all) but also serves up a mean fried chicken. “The Mother Load” comes with chicken confit, a biscuit waffle, and espresso-infused maple syrup. Safe to say Gill has struck gold with this dish.

The Eagle

1342 VINE ST., OVER-THE-RHINE, (513) 802-5007, EAGLERESTAURANT.COM

One of the biggest success stories in the Over-theRhine restaurant scene, The Eagle Food & Beer Hall remains packed pretty much every day and night nearly a decade after its debut. Thunderdome Restaurant Group has now opened locations in Columbus, Indianapolis, Louisville, Pittsburgh, and even Charlotte. The all-natural brined-in-house fried chicken has always been the star, served with hot honey for dipping. Every piece, whether white or dark meat, is incredibly juicy and flavorful. And the deep selection of Southern-style sides (collards, spoonbread, white cheddar grits, succotash, tart cole slaw) still rise to the occasion as well.

Libby’s Southern Comfort

35 W. EIGHTH ST., COVINGTON, (859) 261-3106, LIBBYSSOUTHERNCOMFORT.COM

Fried chicken isn’t the entire story at Libby’s, but the crispy, crunchy creation sets the tone for an amazing Southern-facing menu. You’ll love the fried green tomatoes, deviled eggs, pimento dip, black-eyed pea salad, collard greens, and sly takes on regional favorites like goetta hush puppies and the Charlie Brown, which swaps the hot brown’s traditional bacon for country ham. Or just get a two-piece fried chicken dinner with a biscuit and a Cheerwine bourbon slush and settle in. You’ll be able to walk it all off with an after-dinner stroll around Covington’s bustling Duveneck Square/Madison Avenue district.

Soul Secrets

1434 VINE ST., OVER-THE-RHINE, (513) 721-7685, SOULSECRETSCINCY.COM

This may be the easiest way to get classic family reunion fare on demand. Each massive Southern Dinner Platter (we got the chicken breast and two wings) comes perfectly fried and flaky with crispy skin and tender, juicy meat that falls right off the bone. You can get the ideal sides here, too: a heaping scoop of cheesy mac well done on top, with peppery collard greens, and a sweet cornbread muffin. Your takeout box will feel like it weighs a ton, but this soul food will make your heart light as a chicken feather.

The Golden Lamb is Ohio’s longest continually operating business; it’s been open so long, you can find evidence of both Charles Dickens and Kesha as former guests. It’s a bonus, then, that the food has stayed as good as it is for more than two centuries. Farm-to-table dining before that was even a thing! It’s hard to go wrong with anything at this historic Lebanon inn, but its fried chicken has been the perfect amount of crispy for as long as it’s been around.

Q UEST QUEST F K A E FRIED CHICKEN CHICKEN

When I went vegetarian in middle school, I almost didn’t make it. It took all of a few hours for the cravings to set in—specifically, the cravings for McDonald’s Chicken McNuggets, which made sense because I was 12 and there must be something in those abominations to make kids suffer withdrawal if they go too long without them. I stayed strong, but the temptation was unavoidable, mostly because every Milfordite knows that Wednesday means fried chicken at Miami Market: Styrofoam boxes, two crispy thighs, mashed potatoes, and green beans speckled with the little chunks of ham. When summer came, the Fourth of July meant a spread of Hitching Post chicken enjoyed poolside.

Like it or not, fried chicken was in my blood. Even if I no longer eat it, I can’t replace it. And I’ve spent years searching for a good substitute with no luck.

“There is absolutely no such thing as good vegetarian chicken,” I told our senior editor when we began planning this cover package. She assured me that although that might be the case, it was worth a try. I was unconvinced. When I asked friends for recommendations, they parroted my own line back to me. Even if an attempt was well-intentioned, execution wasn’t always the best. There’s no easy way to replicate the perfectly crisped skin of, well, skin. But there are a few valiant attempts out there.

fried chicken is my favorite dish. too bad i ’ m a masochistic vegetarian.

LAUREN FISHER

My first stop was Galactic Fried Chicken, a local favorite for its crispy thighs, friendly owners, and veggie nuggets. Sweet, versatile jackfruit is cubed, battered, fried, and served with house-made Galactic Sauce and a scoop of coleslaw. I’d never actually had jackfruit, which is commonly used to mimic pulled pork, until then. The texture is stringy and meaty, scratching that carnivore center in your brain—but it wasn’t quite what I had in mind.

When I stopped for a not-so-late snack at Mikey’s Late Night Slice, the OTR pizza dive known for its New York–style slices, I spotted, somewhat inexplicably, vegan boneless wings on the menu. As far as veggie wings go, they hit the spot. Unfortunately, they’ve since been taken off the menu—and Mikey’s has no plans to bring them back. (If you try BrewDog’s gluten-free cauliflower wings with vegan hot sauce or Pendalo Wingery’s cauliflower wings, let me know how they are.) If you’re looking for a walk on the spicier side, Harmony Plant Fare in Findlay Market makes a mean deli-style vegan buffalo chicken ranch sandwich with curls of pan-fried soy chicken.

Nothing that I tried was going to fool anyone. It’s good fake chicken by all means, but it’s definitely fake chicken, you know?

Just when I was about to give up, I saw Northside Yacht Club promoting its “Thicc Fil A,” a veggie dupe of the closed-on-Sundays chain’s signature sandwich. I hightailed it to Northside to try it for myself. Sitting in my car, I took a bite and promptly dropped it back into the box with an audible “oh my God” that the ghosts in Spring Grove Cemetery probably heard.

This was it. This is what I’d been looking for.

“That was the best thing I’ve ever eaten,” I texted two colleagues, Thicc Sauce still dripping from my fingers. “I mean, I say that about every good thing I eat. But holy shit. They actually made a piece of tofu taste like a fried chicken sandwich.” Every part of it was right, from the marinated CinSoy tofu to the buttery challah Sixteen Bricks bun.

But the euphoria was short-lived, and not just because I inhaled my sandwich like a Shop-Vac. The Thicc Fil A, it turned out, was just a one-month special at NSYC. It would be gone in a matter of days. I slipped the keys into the ignition, defeated. A local radio station was playing an old Eminem hit. It was mocking me.

If you had / One shot / Or one opportunity / To seize everything you ever wanted / In one moment / Would you capture it? / Or just let it slip?

I’d captured it, sure. But the opportunity to unearth the perfect fake fried chicken may have, in fact, come once in a lifetime.

Once part of a now-defunct chain, this little greasy spoon built its own chicken tradition. Its classic, deep-fried chicken is always juicy and never bland with soft meat that peels neatly off the bone. One of The Hitching Post’s greatest claims to fame is its signature breading. There’s just enough on each piece to seal in the moisture while crisping to a delicate crunch. If you prefer your chicken off the bone, try the tenders. They’re made with the same famous breading and provide a good crunch with less mess.

Galactic Fried Chicken

624 SIXTH AVE., DAYTON, (859) 2877049, GALACTICFRIEDCHICKEN.COM

Out-of-this-world chicken? Positively, but you won’t have to travel that far—just skip over to Dayton, Kentucky. Galactic sets phasers to extra-crunchy with its gluten- and dairy-free batter on every tender, wing, breast, and leg. Chicken practically screams to be dunked in “Galactic Sauce,” the restaurant’s spicy, housemade chipotle honey mustard. Be sure to try the deviled eggs, which have a nice Southern spice to them.

Jay’s Chicken

It’s a shame that there are still people out there who have yet to discover the joys of gas station fried chicken. Jay’s serves chicken from regional chain Krispy Krunchy—which is already great on its own—but it just tastes different and, yes, better at Jay’s. Are there different ingredients used? Is it a Cincinnati bias? Maybe Cajun magic? Who knows? All we can say is that it’s probably one of the tastiest meals you can get in the city for around $5.

HAPPY MEAL

Cozy’s Café and Pub

6440 CINCINNATI-DAYTON RD., LIBERTY TWP., (513) 644-9365, COZYSCAFEANDPUB.COM

Here’s a recommendation when you go to this charming restaurant in a converted house: Get the fried chicken if you want to take the leftovers home to enjoy for a few days. For a smaller serving, go for the chicken and waffles with onion rings on top and drizzle a little maple syrup on it. There’s something magical in that savory/sweet/spicy/crunchy/crispy/tender combination that seems to hit all the different kinds of tastebuds in your mouth by the time you lick your plate clean.

Hook Fish & Chicken 5000 READING RD., BOND HILL,

(513) 242-5888, HOOKCHICKENFISH.COM

Everyone who’s really from Cincinnati has had a heavenly experience or two at a Hook Fish & Chicken. The quality of this local fast food chain varies by location, so you’ll want to go to the Bond Hill restaurant for some incredible halal eats. Pick anything on the menu, and get ready for a flavor explosion, literally— there’s so much seasoning on the chicken that it’ll drip into your mouth after your first bite.

Purple Poulet

From New Orleans to Northern Kentucky, this Southern bistro’s classic fried chicken is its claim to fame. While the poultry plays the leading role, with its flaky skin, juicy white meat, and delightfully crispy wings and drums, one ensemble player might just steal the show: smooth, savory buttermilk and bacon whipped potatoes. And we give an honorable mention to the green beans—there are no small parts, after all.

WINGIN’IT

eight spots with great fried chicken wings.

714 LILA AVE., MILFORD, (513) 2484444, BYGOLLYS.COM

With booths along one wall, an L-shaped bar, and roll-up windows in front, By Golly’s looks like a typical neighborhood bar. And this Milford spot does have chatty regulars, sassy waitresses, and all your bar food favorites—including hefty, crisp wings. You’ll be satisfied with the traditional hot, but don’t be scared by the chile peanut butter. It’s a sweet chile sauce with just a hint of nutty flavor.

Chimaek

405 SCOTT ST., COVINGTON, (859) 261-0716, GETCHIMAEK.COM

Combine the Korean words for fried chicken and beer and you get “chimaek,” which nicely covers the menu at this Covington pub. Bruce and Yujin Kim, who also own Riverside Korean and Mr. Bulgogi, opened it in November 2022 and now serve a menu of pub bites and wings with Asian-inspired flavors. The orange mango habanero delivers a creepy heat with a touch of sweetness, while the General Tso is more tangy than hot.

Knuck-N-Futz

5468 TAYLOR MILL RD., TAYLOR MILL, (859) 261-9464, KNUCKNFUTZ.COM

For more than 25 years, Knuck’s has been serving up “schWINGzzz” in Taylor Mill. With 14 wet sauces, four dry rubs, and six heat levels, there’s a flavor profile for everyone. Mango-Z-Tango is a fruity way to satisfy a sweet tooth, Karolina Gold brings a mustardy zing, and Kajun Ranch Boom mixes blackened spices into a cool ranch base. Only true hot heads should order the Solar Flare heat level—it’s definitely not for tender tongues.

O’Bryon’s Bar and Grill

The original O’Bryon’s has paid homage to the Irish family that gave the neighborhood its name since 1994. In 2018, a second location opened in Newport. At both, the wings are fresh, never frozen, and crisped perfectly to order, delivered with housemade ranch and blue cheese that’s heavy on the blue. The sauces are straightforward but not boring—prime examples of everything you want in a chicken wing.

PeeWee’s Place

2325 ANDERSON RD., CRESCENT SPRINGS, (859) 341-4977, PEEWEESPLACE.NET

PeeWee’s Place in Crescent Springs feels like a hometown diner, with large parties gathered around tables and regulars chatting across the room. The wings are solid, but the sauces stand out, especially the garlic parmesan and the Gold Rush, a spicy-sweet barbecue. PeeWee himself recommended the chicken bites, hand cut from the tender and tossed in sauce, far better than your average boneless wing.

Quan Hapa

1331 VINE ST., OVER-THE-RHINE, (513) 421-7826, QUANHAPA.COM

While this probably isn’t the first place you’d think to order wings, the Korean fried chicken wings (KFC, get it?) deliver a creeping heat that’s sweetly tangy on a twice-cooked wing that packs a punch of crunch. (Chef Anthony Bach told us the vodka in the batter helps it stay crispy.) The happy hour menu features wings in a honey sriracha sauce, a buttery slick of sweet heat, but the KFC are our faves, hands down.

Shooters

Sports Grill

780 LOVELAND-MIAMIVILLE RD., LOVELAND, (513) 744-7007; 4981 WINNERS CIRCLE DR., LIBERTY TWP., (513) 204-0401; 6352 S. STATE RTE. 48, MAINEVILLE, (513) 697-3000, SHOOTERSSPORTSGRILL.COM

If you need a place to watch the game—any game—Shooters is it. The wings are fresh and on the larger side, cooked to crisp perfection. Dry rub wings have a delightful crackle, and the balance of brown sugar sweet and cumin smoke pairs especially well with the tangy housemade ranch. Hot wings will make your lips tingle without making you sweat, and the specialty parmesean garlic sauce takes basic up a notch.

Wild Mike’s

5043 DELHI PKE., DELHI TWP., (513) 451-9464; 7587 BRIDGETOWN RD., MIAMI HEIGHTS, (513) 467-9464; 4498 HARRISON AVE., GREEN TWP., (513) 598-1616, WILDMIKESWINGS.COM

A west side mainstay, this three-location chain is known for meaty wings, flavorful sauces, and a housemade blue cheese dressing that will become your next food obsession (order the large and thank us later). Mix and match your favorite sauce with an appropriate heat level to customize your perfect wing experience. And if you can’t decide, there’s always the Mike’s Mix, a blend of all the sauces that brings a surprising zing to the table. Literally.

INDIANAINDIANA STATE B IRD B IRD BIRD

When writer Michael Ruhlman covered southeastern Indiana’s fried chicken tradition for The New York Times in 2019, he quoted a local aphorism: “If the Colonel had been born in southern Indiana, he’d have been a general.” Thing is, he was. Colonel Sanders, the world’s most famous Kentuckian, was a born-and-raised Hoosier, from Henryville in the southern part of the state. You could say that the string tie was misleading, or at least that there is almost certainly some Indiana influence in Kentucky Fried Chicken’s secret recipe. In a parallel universe, where a series of odd jobs and a correspondence-course law degree didn’t lead the Colonel to a filling station in Corbin, Kentucky, families in Japan celebrate Christmas with buckets of “Indiana,” not “Kentucky.”

Flattering as that would be for us Midwesterners, who don’t typically get a lot of credit for our culinary ingenuity, maybe it’s for the best that things turned out this way. The chicken that KFC serves all over the world today isn’t the chicken of Sanders’s Indiana childhood. It wasn’t even back in the mid-’70s, when Sanders—by then just a brand ambassador, having sold his stake in the fast-food chain— told a journalist that the gravy was like “wallpaper paste” and the crispy bird “nothing but a damn fried doughball stuck on some chicken.”

In Oldenburg, Indiana, Wagner’s Village Inn serves fried chicken that Sanders would recognize. It’s old-fashioned farmhouse chicken, cut into an economical 10 pieces (breast split in two and back

just across e state line lies a classic taste of amican cuisine—and you can expience it almost any night of e week.

included) instead of the usual eight, showered with black pepper, lard-fried in cast-iron skillets, and served with slaw, green beans, and margarinedrizzled mashed potatoes.

Earlier this year, the culinary tastemakers at the James Beard Foundation rewarded the restaurant’s adherence to tradition by naming it an “America’s Classic”—a restaurant with “timeless appeal” and deep roots in its community. It was an honor for Wagner’s, specifically, but also national recognition for a larger regional tradition.

orange and cranberry juices, and Sprite. Klump’s Tavern in Guilford serves fried chicken only on Fridays and Saturdays after 5 p.m. and Sundays from noon to 7 p.m. (or until sold out), but the throwback bar and grill, in a 19th-century brick building, is worth a special trip. St. Leon Tavern anchors tiny downtown St. Leon, Indiana, with peppery chicken served hot from the fryer.

At many of these restaurants, the chicken is fried to order, so you can expect a wait—and a crackling, fresh-

The cooks at Wagner’s really shower on the black pepper, too, to the extent that one Oldenburg local shared a good-natured complaint: “You never know how much of that pepper you’re going to get!”

menu had been replaced— temporarily, I was told—by a single sheet with limited options. “We’re still getting back on our feet, with all the attention,” our server told us. Fortunately, the fried chicken cooks hadn’t lost their step.

There’s The Brau Haus, also in Oldenburg, a Germanaccented joint where the sauerkraut balls and breaded pork tenderloin sandwiches (best with pickle and mustard) are as noteworthy as the chicken. In Brookville, Dairy Cottage—a casual spot that a Cincinnatian might call a “creamy whip”—serves chicken and soft serve, and the nearby Pioneer Restaurant and Lounge has popular homemade pies.

At Fireside Inn in Enochsburg, many people pair the chicken—batterfried, with potato chip–crisp skin—with an “Enochsburg Sunset,” the house cocktail made with Maker’s Mark, peach schnapps, amaretto,

from-the-fat crust. Many also serve a 10-piece bird, and many are heavy-handed with the black pepper.

But Wagner’s stands out. I already knew it when the cashier at a gas station in Batesville, next door to Oldenburg, rolled his eyes at my question about other good fried chicken spots in the area. “Wagner’s is the fried chicken place around here,” he said. “That’s where I would go, every time.”

The lard makes a difference. Most of the other joints fry in oil. Lard-fried chicken has a deeply savory flavor—also evident in the gravy, made from pan drippings—and an incomparably crisp crust.

In the Nashville hot chicken era, you could make a joke about how the chicken at Wagner’s—so peppery that it’s almost hot itself—is our Midwestern equivalent, made for our salt-and-pepper palates. It should be a point of pride for the region. They don’t make chicken like this in Tennessee.

The first time I went to Wagner’s, soon after I moved home to Cincinnati in 2019— and prompted, I’ll admit, by that Times piece—I ended up waiting about 40 minutes for my chicken, sizzling in a castiron skillet while I dipped crackers in my slaw, per local tradition. “You could have called ahead and told us you were coming,” former owner Ginger Saccomando said at the time.

The last time I went to Wagner’s, after the James Beard nod, the stovetop was crowded with working skillets, constantly sending chicken out to the dining room, and the

In the last few years, I’ve gotten into the habit of celebrating special occasions with Wagner’s takeout. Oldenburg is about 45 minutes from downtown Cincinnati. It’s far enough that the drive feels like a ritual, but not so far that I can’t go after work. Even if the chicken weren’t some of the best in the country—now identified as such by two New York–based tastemakers— I’d get a kick out of bringing a taste of small-town Indiana home to friends and family.

And while I was thinking through this piece in April and May, I went back to a few of the other popular fried chicken joints in the area. Three times, I left work around 6 p.m., drove across newly planted farm fields, tracts of suburban sprawl, and one charming covered bridge, and spent my nights in woodpaneled dining rooms that felt like they could as easily have been in the Dakotas or the Delta as in Greater Cincinnati. Even when the chicken wasn’t quite New York Times–worthy, I was getting an experience that I couldn’t get from my favorite places in Cincinnati—or, for that matter, from KFC. And every time, I was home by 10.

“Wagner’s is the fried chicken place around here,” the cashier said. “That’s where I would go, every time.”

Ron’s Roost

This place does chicken. Roasted, barbecued, teriyakied, jerked, etc., to the tune of 10,000 pieces a week. So as an iconic Cincinnati chicken restaurant, how does its fried chicken stack up? Pretty darned marvelous, according to most. It’s cooked fresh for you, so you have time for an appetizer while you anticipate the crispiness outside that traps the tender juiciness inside. We also recommend the gravy (which is also sold by the half gallon) on the fluffed-up mashed potatoes. And you might even dare to try the chicken livers. It’s comfort food in a comfortable environment.

Greyhound Tavern

2500 DIXIE HIGHWAY, FT. MITCHELL, (859) 331-3767, GREYHOUNDTAVERN. COM

This Northern Kentucky icon has been a popular destination since 1921, when the Dixie Tea Room sold ice cream at the Green Line streetcar turnaround in Ft. Mitchell. That morphed into the Greyhound Grill, named for the new owner’s dog-trainer brother. Still using its two original rooms, Greyhound Tavern has expanded its footprint to serve hungry patrons seven days a week—including “family style” dinners on Monday and Tuesday nights, featuring whole fried chickens, mashed potatoes, green beans, slaw, and biscuits. This might not have been where “Kentucky fried chicken” was invented, but you won’t be able to convince the multi-generational diners who pack the dining rooms for some of its yardbird.

The Schoolhouse Restaurant

8031 GLENDALE-MILFORD RD., CAMP DENNISON, (513) 831-5753, THESCHOOLHOUSECINCINNATI.COM

With the exception of a few minor tweaks, The Schoolhouse still uses its original recipe from 1962. Back then, salt and pepper were about the only spices mixed into the breading before those breasts or drumsticks were plopped into a vat of hot oil and pulled out golden. This is iconic fried chicken where you can still taste the bird, not just the tongue-burning spices. Skip lunch if you’re coming for dinner. It’s family-style here, and the lazy susan in the middle of the table is brimming with sides.

Miami Market

1296 STATE ROUTE 131, DAY HEIGHTS, (513) 831-8646, MIAMI-MARKET.COM

Want a chicken dinner that tastes like home? Miami Market’s pan-fried chicken is unbelievably juicy. The light breading’s moderate seasoning seeps into the meat, and you’ll be licking the bones clean as you debate what makes it so good. Is that paprika? A little bit of seasoned salt? We don’t know, and they won’t tell. Add a side of homemade mashed potatoes and gravy for a true country dinner. This fried fowl only graces the hot plate menu on Wednesdays, so make a note on your calendar, and aim for lunch hours to avoid a line out the door.

BrewRiver Creole Kitchen

4632 EASTERN AVE, LINWOOD, (513) 861-2484, BREWRIVERCREOLEKITCHEN.COM

BrewRiver’s Creole approach to gastropub cuisine means everything cooks low and slow. While BrewRiver is known for the endless hours it leaves gumbo and jambalaya to simmer, its buttermilk crispy chicken enjoys the same spa-like service before it lands on your plate. Quality time in a buttermilk soak leaves each bite extremely tender, and the breading has just enough seasoning to remind you the restaurant is Creole influenced without being spicy. The batter crisps up for a perfect contrast with the tender meat.

fried chicken looks different depending on where you are in the world. but more importantly, it ’ s all delicious.

Karaage

The frying method used for karaage dates back to Japan’s Edo period, but this dish didn’t gain steam at izakayas or start being sold in konbinis (Japanese convenience stores) until after World War II. It’s typically marinated with soy sauce, mirin, sake, and ginger, rolled in flour or potato starch, and then deep-fried for juicy, crispy results. Grab it at Mochiko.

5932 HAMILTON AVE., COLLEGE HILL, (513) 541-0381, KIKICIN CINNATI.COM; 1524 MADISON RD., WALNUT HILLS, (513) 5591000, CAFEMOCHIKO.COM

Chicharrón De Pollo

2 Hailing from Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic, this dish is made with chunks of fried chicken pieces seasoned with sazon, adobo, and garlic. In Spanish, “chicharrón” means “crackling,” which refers to the sound the chicken pieces makes when they’re cooked up. What’s the word for “tasty”? Get it at El Asadero Mexican Bar and Grill or Maize.

1081 SMILEY AVE., FOREST PARK, (513) 407-3582, ELASADEROMBG.COM; 1438 RACE ST., OVER-THE-RHINE, (513) 381-1608, MAIZEOTR.COM

Korean Fried Chicken

3 Versions of fried chicken had been popular in South Korea since the 1940s, but the style we know and love traces its origins to the ’80s. Due to a double-frying process, it’s lighter and crispier than its American counterpart. There are several chains in the area that make fast-casual Korean fried chicken—like bb.q Chicken on Fourth Street, CM Chicken in Liberty Township, and Bonchon in Mason—but Decibel in Walnut Hills is really the place to try it.

922 E. MCMILLAN ST., (513) 429-5002, DECIBELCHICKEN. COM

Chicken 65

4 There are lots of weird theories about how this south Indian dish got its name (the chicken’s marinated for 65 days?), but the number just represents the year it was created at Hotel Buhari in Chennai. The appetizer is deep-fried marinated chicken with curry leaves and chiles for a spicy kick. You can find Chicken 65 on several local Indian restaurants’ menus, including Nawabi Hyderabad House 11963 LEBANON RD., SUITE 120, SHARONVILLE, (513) 956-5678, HHCINCY.COM

GOINGGLOBAL PAGE

(Taiwanese Popcorn Chicken)

5 Popularized as a street food in Taiwan, chicken thighs are marinated in soy sauce, garlic, salt, and white pepper and then topped with a five-spice powder mix, creating a snack-worthy appetizer. Try it at Poke Hut or Pho Kimmy.

1509 RACE ST., UNIT 104, OVERTHE-RHINE, (513) 975-0905, POKEHUTUSA.COM; 11974 LEBANON RD., SHARONVILLE, (513) 769-5999, PHO-KIMMY.COM

As a child, Corrie Wallace would recite the same prayer every night: “Dear God, please let me wake up as a girl.

During adolescence, Corrie sank into depression and lethargy, coming to life only when playing video games with a female avatar. Nothing could relieve her gender dysphoria—the intense distress of feeling like a girl trapped in a boy’s body.

As a college senior, Corrie finally sought help at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center’s (CCHMC) Transgender Health Clinic, one of the oldest and most respected gender-affirming treatment centers in the region. Today she’s thriving in her career as a chemical engineer and is engaged to be married in September. “My real, more vibrant personality has come back, making me more successful professionally and more extroverted,” she says. “The Transgender Clinic was pivotal. They were a great resource for letting me know my medical options, helping me get that care, and answering any questions along the way.”

The Transgender Health Clinic has been a godsend for hundreds of transgender youth and their families— including my own—since its founding in July 2013. (My youngest son, now 21, has been receiving treatment there for the past seven years.) The term transgender refers to people whose gender identity is different from the sex assigned to them at birth, while transition care is a broad term for health care that includes psychological and medical treatment.

Over the past 10 years, Ohio’s six children’s hospitals have treated an estimated 3,300 patients who were under the age of 18 at the time of their first appointment. “I don’t know if my child would still be here without it,” is a common refrain among parents, referring to a suicide rate among trans kids that’s well above the national average.

The Cincinnati clinic’s 2013 launch seemed like the dawn of a more compassionate era, in which widely available transition care would prevent tragedies such as the high-profile suicide of Leelah Alcorn in Warren County. But today that life-saving treatment is in jeopardy as antitrans bills flood the Ohio and Kentucky state legislatures, proposing to ban gender-affirming care for minors. The CCHMC clinic stopped providing transition care in Ken-

FAMILY VALUES

(On the opening spread) Ty Warner Kisor and his parents, Dana Kisor and Jennifer Warner; (opposite page) Corrie Wallace and Andrew Whitford; (right) Losanta Peebles and her parents, Pam and Dan.

tucky when the state legislature enacted a ban in late March against treatment for minors. It’s now helping Kentucky patients find gender-affirming care from a provider with an Ohio medical license.

Area families fear Ohio could be next. “Ohio was once a state where slaves could flee to, seeking freedom,” notes Giles Roblyer, the father of a 12-year-old trans boy. “Now we’re facing the prospect of becoming refugees in our own country.”

Transgender people have become the political scapegoat du jour, blamed for everything from inflation to mass shootings. School boards (most recently in the Dayton-area Bellbrook-Sugarcreek district) are removing anti-discrimination protections for LGBTQ+ students. Hate speech runs rampant, with trans people dehumanized as “sinners,” even “demons.” Parents are condemned as “child abusers” and “groomers.”

In late March, the Kentucky legislature voted to override Gov. Andy Beshear’s veto of a law that prohibits gender-transition care for minors. Two bills have been introduced into the Ohio House (HB 454 and HB 68) that would ban gender-affirming care for minors, including hormone therapy, puberty blockers, and sex-reassignment

maps and thinking, In which state will my kid be safe?” says Roblyer. “We are looking at states where there are no anti-trans laws and where parental rights are not being stripped away.”

Roblyer hates the thought of leaving a job he loves, as a director and assistant general counsel for Procter & Gamble, and a city where he has deep roots. His older son is in high school. “What will it cost me to leave the boards I serve on and the charities I support?” he wonders. “I hate the thought of starting over in another state. But in the end I will do what is best for my child.”

High school senior Losanta Peebles of Milford, 17, also would consider relocating

The politics around transgender healthcare are so toxic that officials at CCHMC, who have improved and saved hundreds of lives in the transgender community over the past 10 years, declined to participate in interviews for this story.

IN 2014, 17-YEAR-OLD LEELAH ALCORN stepped in front of a tractor-trailer on I-71 in Warren County, leaving behind a timerelease suicide note that in part blamed her parents for not allowing her to transition. “The life I would have lived isn’t worth living because I’m transgender,” she wrote.

Her death continues to haunt the U.S. transgender community, particularly in Cincinnati. “If trans youth are denied the right to transition, there are going to be a lot more suicides,” predicts Carol Moyer Wallace, Corrie’s mother.

surgery. Physicians would lose their licenses for providing such care, and hospitals would lose public funding. House Bill 6 would ban transgender women from participating in college and youth sports.

The atmosphere has grown so poisonous that some families are considering moving to another state if Ohio bans transition care. “Everyone I know in the transgender community is looking at

if Ohio takes away her right to transition care and hormone therapy. She would be forced to abandon her plans to study culinary arts at Cincinnati State, and she’d be leaving a city she loves so much that her chosen name is derived from Losantiville, the name settlers originally gave Cincinnati. “I haven’t really let all of this affect my self-esteem,” she says. “I know it’s hate speech.”

Dan Peebles, Losanta’s father, winces when he sees casual transphobic comments from acquaintances on social media. He recoiled when Losanta was taunted at Kings Island on a day when she simply wanted to ride the Diamondback with her dad. “What some people don’t get is that for us it’s very simple,” he says. “We are just trying to keep our child alive. They have expressed to us that they would almost rather be dead than to be a man.”

As a 19-year-old struggling to come out to his parents, Ty Warner Kisor, now 28, often thought about Alcorn, worrying that he too would die before his true identity became CONTINUED ON PAGE 56

“

I hate the thought of starting over in another state. But in the end I will do what is best for my child.” - Giles Roblyer

Guatema Opening Doors to a Better Future in

The odds, unfortunately, are stacked against them. These youth come from rural indigenous communities in the Central American country of Guatemala, where nearly four out of five children live in poverty and 90 percent don’t graduate high school—a necessity to reach any of these dreams.

These teens are candidates for the Rise Youth Development Program, which provides full academic scholarships and wrap-around support services to poor students in Guatemala. The scholarships help students stay in school and begin to think differently about their futures. Rise is one of four distinct programs offered by Cooperative for Education (CoEd), a Cincinnati-based nongovernmental organization working in the country now for 27 years.

What began as a single textbook program in one impoverished community in Guatemala is now a multilayered approach to improving academic outcomes in a country with one of the world’s most inequitable economies and highest illiteracy rates. In partnership with the communities it serves, CoEd now administers 191 textbook programs, 141 reading programs, and 56 computer technology centers in schools located in 12 of Guatemala’s 22 departments (or states). It currently supports 931 Rise scholars and to date has served more than a quarter of a million Guatemalan youth with its programs.

“We gave them a hand and opened the door, and they walked through it themselves,” says Executive Director Joe Berninger, a Clifton resident who cofounded CoEd with his brother Jeff in 1996. The organization has since grown to 62 full-time positions: 14 in a Westwood office and 48 in two offices in Guatemala. Programs are supported by the Guatemala Literacy Project, an arm of the

Sitting in a circle, a group of visitors from the U.S. listens as Rudy, 13, shares his aspirations for becoming a doctor. A few seats down, a 13-year-old girl wants to be a physical education teacher.

The next, a veterinarian.

global humanitarian organization Rotary International, and CoEd is a member of the Obama Foundation’s Girls Opportunity Alliance. The goal, Berninger says, is to address the root causes of poverty in Guatemala and to help build a middle class where there is none.

Conditions drove an estimated 620,000 Guatemalans into the U.S. illegally in 2018, according to statistics from the Department of Homeland Security, representing the third largest group of unlawful immigrants here (behind those born in Mexico and in El Salvador). There were also about 180,000 legal permanent U.S. residents from Guatemala as of 2022. Guatemalans represent about half of the child migrants in a new report by The New York Times called “Alone and Exploited,” which found record numbers of child migrants in the U.S., many working in dangerous jobs that violate our child labor laws.

No matter your political persuasion, says Berninger, people can agree it’s better to provide youth with a chance to prosper in their own communities than to consider life as a migrant worker or part of one of Guatemala’s criminal groups. CoEd’s mission is to break the cycle of poverty through education, and to do that the organization raises roughly $3 million a year from thousands of individuals, private and family foundations, Rotary clubs, corporations, and churches.

work. Solo travelers, families, and groups can sign up for one of four tour options, averaging $1,000–$2,000 per person. To date, CoEd has taken 1,337 individuals from around the globe to Guatemala, nearly 500 of them from the Cincinnati area.

The results are encouraging. The Rise program alone has nearly flipped the earlier graduation statistic, with 80 percent of its scholars earning a high school diploma. Along with the work of its educational partners, high school graduation rates are up 5 percent throughout Guatemala in the last 20 years.

“The people who get involved want to be part of something bigger,” says Ann Dempsey, CoEd’s director of philanthropy. “The world’s problems can feel very big and overwhelming. One thing CoEd has to offer is a system in which people can plug in and make life better for all of us.”

It’s day one on the bus on a Snapshot Tour in February, and Mayra Sidler Guzman is welcoming travelers from Las Vegas, Ohio, Colorado, and Michigan. Originally from Guadalajara, Mexico, she is CoEd’s international programs manager and one of the guides for this tour.

The bus rolls out of colorful and historic Antigua and up into the Western Highlands, a region packed with volcanos, a few of them active. As the caravan climbs up winding roads toward the first school on the tour, Guzman provides background to

the visitors, many of whom have never been to Guatemala. “About half of the people of Guatemala are of native Mayan decent,” she says. “They are called ‘indigenous’ here.”

The country is similar in size to Ohio, bordered by Mexico, Belize, Honduras, and El Salvador. It’s called “la Tierra de la Eterna Primavera” (“the land of eternal spring”) for its year-round temperate weather. Part of the country is a tropical rainforest and part is lowland forest, with coastlines on the Pacific Ocean and the Caribbean Sea. “Anyone want to guess how many languages are spoken in Guatemala?” Guzman asks. “It’s 24. Twenty-one Mayan languages, plus Spanish, and two spoken by non-Mayan tribes on the coast.”

She hands the microphone to Pamela Oliva, a native Guatemalan recently hired by CoEd as a tour specialist. Oliva begins to explain why educational outcomes are so bad in Guatemala, particularly for the indigenous people. “They are heavily discriminated against,” she says. “My mom always says poverty has the face of an indigenous woman, because women are less likely to stay in school and are seen more as wives and housekeepers. This is what CoEd and the Rotary are trying to change.”

Guatemala’s tumultuous history kept the country from developing a good public school system. The Spanish invaded in the mid-1500s, ruling until the country’s independence in 1821. Over those centuries, indigenous peoples’ lands were stolen and they were often enslaved. Post-independence wasn’t much better, as political parties—both left and right—did little for the country’s poorest citizens.

A succession of military governments devolved into civil war from 1960 to 1996, which pitted European-descended civilians (often aligned with foreign interests, including the U.S.) against rural indigenous Guatemalans. An estimated 140,000 to 200,000 people were killed or forcefully “disappeared” during the conflict, now recognized as a case of genocide.

The war reverberates through her country today, says Oliva. More than 50 percent of Guatemalans live in poverty, compared to less than 12 percent in the U.S. One of Oliva’s friends was a child when everyone in his village scattered during a raid and he was separated from his family. Raised by a family in Guatemala City,

Service trips to the country are the organization’s lifeblood, says Berninger, helping donors and potential donors get a glimpse of life in Guatemala and CoEd’s Continued on page 60

known and embraced by his loved ones. “I thought about that beautiful girl, lying in the ground, and I wondered if I would be buried under the wrong name when I died,” he says.

Ty now feels secure in his masculinity and bolstered by the loving advocacy of his parents, Jennifer Warner and Dana Kisor. Yes, there are challenges; he often doesn’t feel comfortable using the men’s bathroom. “It depends on the day,” he says.

The family has no plans to leave their farm in Petersburg, Kentucky, where they welcome guests at the First Farm Inn bedand-breakfast. “We feel that we need to stay here in Kentucky and speak up,” says Ty. “But I understand that some families need to make a different decision. It’s the younger kids I really worry about. If I had been a teen when this Kentucky law passed, that could have been dangerous for me.”

In the heart-wrenching conclusion to her suicide note, Alcorn wrote, “The only way I will rest in peace is if one day transgender people aren’t treated the way I was, they’re treated like humans with valid feelings and human rights.” For some years after her death, it seemed as if her dream was coming true—that public acceptance was growing, reducing the likelihood of future tragedies. And yet now a media host such as Daily Wire’s Michael Knowles can call for the eradication of “transgenderism” with near impunity. During his speech before the Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in March, Knowles told the

crowd, “For the good of society…transgenderism must be eradicated from public life entirely—the whole preposterous ideology, at every level.”

Why the sudden, ferocious backlash during the past couple of years and the flurry of anti-trans bills nationwide? Trans people make a more convenient target these days because nearly everyone has a family member or friend who is gay or lesbian. “The battle against gay marriage was lost,” says Roblyer. “But very few people know someone who is trans. They’re a vulnerable population who can be ‘othered’ really easily.”

In addition to fighting anti-trans legislation, families are battling misinformation and propaganda. This is a culture, after all, in which specious rumors can flourish; witness the recent urban legend about high schools allowing students to use litter boxes if they identify as cats.

One of the most common myths is that a diagnosis of gender dysphoria is easily

other important areas of functioning,” according to the American Psychiatric Association.

Before Roblyer’s son even knew the word “transgender,” he asked his friends to call him George. He insisted on wearing boys’ underwear and playing with boys’ toys. “For a long time we thought, He’s a tomboy,” Roblyer recalls. “He didn’t know what a transgender person was. He thought he was the only one on Earth.”

In kindergarten, he approached his parents with the simple declaration: “God made a mistake. He sent me to earth as a girl, but I am really a boy.” Later he told his parents, “I don’t want to live past 9”—a remark that Roblyer and his wife, Meredith, came to interpret as meaning that he didn’t want to go through puberty, not that he wanted to die. “All that changed when we went to the Transgender Clinic at Cincinnati Children’s, when we realized what we could do step by step, choice by choice,” says Roblyer. “Like all parents of trans kids, I didn’t expect or ask for this journey. God decided for us.”

attained and that hormone therapy or puberty blockers are doled out in rapid-fire style like candy from a Pez dispenser. In reality, the process can take 18 months or longer, involving extensive counseling followed by an often lengthy wait for an appointment at CCHMC’s Transgender Health Clinic. “People who want to control trans parents think that kids are walking into doctors’ offices, declaring, I am trans, give me pills,” says Roblyer. “For our family, it’s been a long journey with incremental steps.”

The course of treatment is highly individualistic; some patients and parents don’t choose medical therapies at all. In order to begin transition care, however, all transgender people have one thing in common: They must be diagnosed with gender dysphoria lasting at least six months and resulting in “clinically significant distress or impairment in social, occupational, or

Yet a pernicious myth persists that parents or teachers are child abusers who somehow “groom” children to become transgender. The reality is the opposite, these parents say; if and when children confess their feelings to their parents, they’re sometimes met with initial confusion and resistance.

Corrie Wallace says she wanted to be Wonder Woman as a kindergartener playing superheroes in the schoolyard. “Even at that age, I kept it to myself,” she recalls. “I knew people wouldn’t like it.”

During adolescence Corrie became more withdrawn and unmotivated, retreating into the world of video games. When other players taunted her for her tendency to choose a female avatar, Corrie played up the role of the heterosexual male: “I would rather look at a girl character than a guy character.”

“I got good grades, but I wasn’t interested in doing anything but the bare minimum,” she says. “I had no passion for growing and developing.”

Corrie enrolled as an engineering student at the University of Cincinnati, but that didn’t bring about the fresh start she’d hoped for. Even after she began exploring

“MY BIGGEST FEAR WAS FOR HER SAFETY,” SAYS CORRIE WALLACE’S MOTHER, CAROL, ABOUT CORRIE’S TRANSITION JOURNEY. “AND I WORRIED SHE’D BE ALONE ALL HER LIFE.”

the possibility of transitioning, she endured months of waffling and indecision. “After I had first started researching, I thought there was no way transitioning would make me happy, and I tried to find other ways to get over my gender dysphoria,” she says. “But I’d been dealing with it since childhood, so there was no way I was just going to will it away.”

She even cut her hair short and worked out rigorously at the gym in an attempt to look more masculine—measures that only made her more miserable. Over Thanksgiving break during her senior year of high school, Corrie struggled to find the right time and the right words to tell her mother. “I tried to build up the courage to say something to my mom, but I couldn’t get the words out,” she recalls. “I knew it would flip her world upside down.”

Carol noticed. “Is something wrong?” she asked. “Yeah,” Corrie replied, “but you aren’t going to like it.”

A month after that conversation, Corrie started therapy. It would be another six months before she received a recommendation to start hormone therapy. “People think you sign up one day to be transgender,” she says. “That’s not how it works. I was very persistent and consistent with my therapist.”

For the next several months mother and daughter texted frequently. “That made it so much easier,” Corrie says. “I could type out very explicitly what I was feeling, and I didn’t have to see her reaction and try to protect her.”

A devout Catholic, Carol was at first shaken by the revelation that the child she’d raised as a boy had grown into a young woman. She wasn’t sure she could sit by her daughter’s side when she underwent sex reassignment surgery in 2018.

But her parish priest reassured her that supporting Corrie was the right thing to do. Carol’s emotional response migrated from shock to concern to her present-day advocacy. “My biggest fear was for her safety,” she says. “And I worried she would be alone all her life.”

Dan Peebles recalls the fear and uncertainty he experienced as Losanta transitioned. “We raised both of our children

to be men,” he says. “And for a time we had to grieve the old personality. It’s almost like we have had three kids. But Losanta needs to live outwardly the way she feels inwardly, and the world will have to deal with it.”

Losanta nods approvingly, adding, “It’s not like I woke up one day and decided to be trans so people could hate me.”

Pam Peebles now supports her daughter wholeheartedly, but couldn’t help warning her initially, “This is the worst demographic you could choose. People will discriminate against you. They could even be violent. There can be such a lack of empathy for something you haven’t really had to think about.” She even cautioned, “Do you know how hard it is to be female? We face so many inequities in this life.”

Even longtime LGBTQ+ allies can’t help having conflicted feelings when their children come out to them as transgender. “I supported my child 100 percent when they came out, but a small part of me couldn’t help feeling, But I’m your mom, and I’m wor-

that people can’t have their diabetes medication?”

Roblyer agrees, saying, “This is a complete abrogation by those who believe in the principles of limited government, which I happen to share.”

Last year, Armand Antonmaria, M.D., director of the Ethics Center at CCHMC, testified before an Ohio House committee about the dangers of HB 454. “It would threaten the mental health of adolescents with gender dysphoria,” he said. “It would also place Ohio’s health care providers in the untenable position of either violating their ethical duties to their patients or losing their licenses.”

Roblyer made an impassioned appeal before a House committee in November 2022, arguing for equal treatment for parents of transgender youth in making medical decisions for their children. “This bill suggests that I can’t give informed parental consent to gender-affirming care because my child can’t fully understand the risks

but Ohio law will ban me from deciding to have my trans child take the exact same course of medicine to minimize mental health issues.”

Roblyer concluded his testimony by debunking the notion that he’d been duped into believing that his child is trans. “With all due respect, I give advice to the leaders of an $83 billion corporation on complex legal issues including fraud and risk. As part of my job, I read and analyze the medical clinical studies supporting P&G’s products. I’ve been a proud, patriotic, highachieving American for 48 years. I have not been fooled. I have not been groomed. I know who my child is. I know the studies, I know the risks, I know the benefits, and I will make the choice.”

Three anti-trans bills died in committee last year in the Ohio House, but no one is complacent that will happen again this year. “Given the domino effect of bills in other states, it’s hard to know what will happen here,” says Connor.

ried,” says the Rev. Alice Connor, an Episcopal priest and author who’s the mother of a trans child.

OHIO FAMILIES, INCLUDING THOSE INterviewed here, have mobilized through forums such as the Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Parents of Transgender Youth Facebook page. Again and again, they pack committee meeting rooms at the Ohio Statehouse in Columbus, spilling into the hallways, to provide opponent testimony or simply to bear witness. They’re outraged that the state, under the Orwellian banner of “parental rights,” is attempting to take away their right to parent as they see fit.

“What happened to the political party of laissez-faire?” asks Warner. “What I don’t understand is how these legislators think they know more than the medical professionals. What is next? Will they dictate

and he may eventually regret the decision,” he testified. “But under Ohio law, any father can and often does give his consent for any number of risky, experimental, and irreversible surgical procedures for his minor child, such as major and dangerous invasive surgeries for cosmetic breast implants, butt lifts, labiaplasty, and nose jobs, liposuction, stomach stapling, and disfiguring piercings and tattoos on any part of the minor’s body, including the face and neck. The law permits this, even though we know minors often regret these decisions once they are adults.”

Taking a course of puberty blockers for up to two to three years has been clinically proven as a safe and fully reversible treatment, Roblyer noted in his testimony. “But if this bill passes, the father living next door to me will be able to have his child with precocious puberty take years of puberty blockers to minimize mental health issues,

Neither is anyone confident the legislative onslaught will stop with minors. As one mother posted recently on the parent Facebook page, “Even if your child doesn’t play sports, you must fight. Even if your child is over 18 and you think they won’t be impacted by the health care ban, we still need you to lend your voice. All of these bills and policies impact our kids directly or indirectly because we know every time a piece of anti-trans legislation pops up, it negatively impacts the mental health of LGBTQIA people and their families. And each piece of anti-trans legislation or policy that passes opens a clear path for the next anti-trans bill and creates momentum to keep the hate going.”

There is, however, at least one reason to remain hopeful—the courage and resilience of transgender kids themselves. For her part, Losanta strives to remain optimistic as she contemplates her life after high school. “I am kind of bargaining that Ohio is going to go the right way,” she says. “What’s going backward is a small group of people who want to regress to another millennium. My own journey is going forward.”

Corrie’s journey is going forward, as well. She had her gender confirmation surgery in 2018; her mother, a nurse, worked in tandem with the Transgender Health Clinic

MANY OHIO FAMILIES ARE OUTRAGED THAT THE STATE, UNDER THE ORWELLIAN BANNER OF “PARENTAL RIGHTS,” WANTS TO TAKE AWAY THEIR RIGHT TO PARENT AS THEY SEE FIT.

to help Corrie select a Philadelphia surgeon. “After the surgery, I felt a new sense of calm from the realization that no one can take this milestone away from me,” Corrie recalls. “No politician could undo it at that point. I was so happy and relieved that I could take a shower without having to deal with that dysphoria every time.”

Her greatest regret is not transitioning until the age of 21. “Going through puberty is not something you can undo,” she says. “I wish I could talk to my 12-year-old self. If I’d been able to transition earlier, I would have had more fun in high school. I missed out on my fun girlfriend time.”

Hormones and puberty blockers could have prevented some of the irreversible changes that can contribute to dysphoria: height and skeletal changes, such as broader shoulders; facial hair; facial structure changes such as a more prominent jaw; and limited breast development. “I am larger overall, meaning larger feet and hands, which tend to be perceived as more masculine and make it harder to find fitting clothes,” she says. “I also did not get to have much hip growth so my overall shape is not quite as feminine as I would have wanted. This causes me almost daily dysphoria, sadly, though it’s mostly manageable nowadays.”

Corrie met Andrew Whitford in 2018 through online video gaming, and they decided to meet in person when she was vacationing in Washington, D.C. “I had this fear for years that anyone who knew I had transitioned would be uninterested in me,” she says.

When she told Whitford about her gender identity, she added, “This probably changes everything.” “It doesn’t, I still see you as you,” he replied, leaning over to kiss her.

The couple is now making plans for a September wedding. “I knew I wanted to be married,” says Corrie. “I had pictured myself in a wedding dress. But it happened much sooner than I thought. I feel so lucky to have gone through this really challenging life experience and to have found a relationship where appearances come second to the love we share.”

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just last year—some 30 years later—he was reunited with family members.

Discrimination, underrepresentation, and war have all led to Guatemala’s current situation, where one in three indigenous adults can’t read or write and has an average five years of education. Households live on $4 a day, compared to $197 in the U.S. In Guatemala, that $4 often includes wages brought in by children in the family.

Remember Rudy, who wants to be a doctor? He works almost daily in the fi elds. The 13-year-old girl a few seats down works at her grandmother’s convenience store.

with tour groups so that everyone can meet.

Once at the schools, the foreign visitors are given a warm welcome, showered with smiles and heartfelt gifts, like handmade “Thank You” cards and small crafts. Speeches are given by the principal, students, teachers, CoEd staff , and a representative of Guatemala’s Ministry of Education. For the first time, this secondary school will have history, math, and social studies textbooks.

Most schools normally start partnering with CoEd through its textbook program. It was CoEd’s first project, designed for a school where Jeff Berninger began teaching in the 1990s.

He and Joe came to Guatemala in their 30s to visit their uncle, a Catholic missionary. The brothers fell in love with the country. Jeff began volunteering in a school outside of Antigua and was astonished to find no textbooks in the classrooms. Students copied lessons from the chalkboard, a dull and time-consuming task.

puters, offsetting the cost of new equipment and technology. Nearly 60 percent of entry level jobs in Guatemala now require computer skills, and CoEd wants rural children to have the same shot as their urban peers. This year, nearly 12,000 students are being served in 56 computer centers.

CoEd later turned its attention to one of life’s most important skills: reading. The Spark Reading Program gives primary school teachers two years of intensive training in effective reading instruction, combined with individual support and instruction through in-class visits. The program provides each teacher with a library of books, and nearly 1,300 teachers at 141 schools have gone through the program to date or are in training.

The Rise Youth Development Program, which identifies promising young students who would otherwise be forced to drop out of school if they weren’t provided a scholarship for school tuition and fees, creates a network of mentors, counselors, and peers. Once a student receives a scholarship, CoEd commits to pay for that student through his or her high school career, even if the donor drops out of the program. To date, 80 percent of Rise scholars have graduated high school and 53 percent of its graduates now help pay for a younger sibling’s education.

Another helps his father work two jobs, as a mechanic and loading trucks. It’s so common for kids to work that many schools in Guatemala offer morning and afternoon sessions to accommodate work schedules.

Still, more than half of indigenous youth drop out by sixth grade, with girls leaving at a higher rate. “Americans might see this as a bad choice, taking children out of school,” says Guzman. “But for many, it isn’t a choice at all. It’s the only option if the family wants to survive.”

THE COED CARAVAN BOUNCES DOWN A dusty road on the way to an indigenous village outside of Tecpán, where two schools are newly enrolled in CoEd’s textbook program. When a new school partners with CoEd, the organization likes to celebrate with students, teachers, administrators, and the surrounding community, scheduling inauguration ceremonies and school visits

The brothers ruminated on a self-sustaining textbook program. With community buy-in and an initial grant from Procter & Gamble, they purchased books for the school. Parents agreed to pay a small rental fee every year—now $1.50 a month for a set of books in core subjects—which goes into a revolving fund to replace the books every five years. It was a hit, and other schools wanted in.

Today, there are 191 active CoEd textbook programs serving almost 22,000 Guatemalan students. When surveyed, 100 percent of teachers said their students understood course material better with the textbooks and the program has allowed teachers 25 percent more time to engage students with questions, discussion, and critical thinking.

Next came CoEd’s computer centers program, which works much like the textbook program. Families agree to pay about $3 a month for their children to use com-

Because Guatemalan girls have poorer academic outcomes than boys and are traditionally the first to be taken out of school, CoEd has shifted its focus to supporting a higher percentage of girls in the Rise program, Guzman explains. “Girls are discriminated against, even in their own families,” she says. “Despite there being more women in the country, there are 1.5 boys in school to every girl. Also, research shows educated women have healthier, better nourished kids and are more likely to prioritize education for their children.”

SUSAN AND JAMES HUNT ARE FROM Grafton, Ohio. They first heard about the Guatemala Literacy Program, the Rotary project partnered with CoEd, in 2017 and began supporting a Rise scholar. The couple took their first tour to Guatemala with CoEd in spring 2018.

“We were blown away,” says Susan. “We both had been involved in many Rotary

“AMERICANS MIGHT SEE TAKING CHILDREN OUT OF SCHOOL AS A BAD CHOICE. BUT FOR MANY IN GUATEMALA, IT’S THE ONLY OPTION IF THE FAMILY WANTS TO SURVIVE.”

projects over the years, and this project stood head and shoulders above the rest. The opportunity to meet your student and actually see where your money goes and how it’s being used was so different from other experiences we’d had.”

Over the course of three trips to Guatemala, Susan says she’s come to understand CoEd’s broad influence and strong connections with the communities it serves. “It was the sustainability of the projects that made the biggest impression on us,” she says. The tours “are the cherry on top,” well planned and organized and what she calls a perfect mixture of work, fun, education, and emotional experiences.

The Hunts now support two Rise scholars—one just graduated and is planning to become a teacher—and have stepped up in other ways. They created a Rise scholarship match through the Rotary so younger Rotarians can get involved at half the cost. In 2019, they became “padrinos” (godparents) to a class of Rise scholars at one

school, donating $5,000 to cover the cost of unsponsored students, program evaluation, and costs associated with matching students with sponsors.

It costs $960 a year ($80 a month) to support a Rise scholar. John Keleher from Aspen, Colorado, supports four. Now in his mid-80s, he took his first CoEd trip to Guatemala in 2004 for a textbook delivery tour with five of his fellow members of the Rotary Club of Aspen and their spouses, including his wife Linda, who died in 2013.

Keleher returned for tours in 2016, 2018, and 2020, and in February he took his fifth tour with his second wife, Suzanne Caskey. “CoEd has meant a great deal to me over the years,” says Keleher, who is retired from the construction industry and counts the CoEd founders and longtime staff members as friends.

His granddaughter, Kate, went to Guatemala with him in 2020, and he says she left with an appreciation for the country’s people and how hard the students—many

her own age—work to stay in school with the help of CoEd and the Rotary. Now a high school junior, Kate is studying in Romania as a Rotary Exchange Student. “At present, one of the students in her high school is a refugee from Ukraine,” says Keleher, “so she’s not only learning about another country but learning about the politics and difficulties that exist elsewhere.”

JOE BERNINGER GETS THE QUESTION A lot: Why Guatemala? “There are no social programs, no safety nets,” he says. “We often find Mom and Dad are not in optimal health and the kids don’t have optimal nutrition. They have many more strikes against them in this part of the world.”

As Americans, we get to go to Starbucks and pay $4 for a venti caffe latte instead of $8, says Berninger, because someone in Guatemala is working for $1 a day. He suggests all of us check our closets and look at the tags on our clothes—there will be something assembled in Guatemala, made

by a worker for $2. “We benefit from the cheap labor in this part of the world,” he says. “I feel good personally about giving back and giving them opportunities because of that.” And American dollars, Canadian dollars, and English pounds simply go a longer way in Guatemala.

As do the Berninger brothers. Jeff left CoEd in 2017 to help his wife Johanna launch the Idea Global nonprofi t, which trains pregnant Guatemalan women, new mothers, and occasionally fathers on early stimulation, socio-emotional well-being, and nutrition for children ages 0–5. Almost half of the country’s children under 5 are chronically malnourished, according to UNICEF, one of the worst rates in the world. Idea Global provides prenatal and postnatal fortified micronutrient products for children in the program and also hosts support groups for the parents.

“The secret piece of the equation is that mothers who would be raising children, maybe alone or very isolated, get a chance

to talk with other mothers, and what happens is incredibly empowering,” says Jeff “They join to help their children but end up getting support for their own emotional well-being.” There are currently 500 mothers and children enrolled in the program.

Elubia Guamuch Ixcojoc, a local facilitator with CoEd who helps translate in the circle with Rudy and the other Guatemalan teens at the Rise event in February, was a Rise scholar from 2014 until graduating high school in 2017. She went on to earn a bachelor’s degree with a specialization in quality management and then was hired by CoEd to run workshops and youth development activities as a local facilitator. She grew up in a village where one of the students is from, a living example that it’s possible to attain a dream.

Joe Berninger thinks about each of the 278,400 students CoEd has touched. What could one young woman become? One young man? “You can change somebody’s life,” he says. “You can reach a hand to help

and pull them up out of poverty—open up the door to the middle class—for $1,000 a year. That’s transformational.”

At the final dinner together on a recent tour, CoEd staff show a slideshow of photographs taken over the last five days, a reminder of all the group has done and seen together. Tour members are invited to share take-aways after the slideshow ends. Hux Miller of Cincinnati says he was thrilled to see genuine smiles on the faces of Guatemalans everywhere they went. The last time he was in the country, he was a volunteer with the U.S.-based grassroots organization Witness for Peace during the civil war. People were terrified. Their resilience, he says, is astounding.

A retired teacher speaks up. She spent a career in the classroom but says she will be forever changed having seen how hard the students, their families, and communities are working to improve outcomes for their next generations. Transformation, it seems, for all involved.

Rich with history. Brimming with innovation.

Prost!

TWENTY-FIVE YEARS AGO, OLAF SCHEIL moved from Germany to Cincinnati for an engineering job. Soon after, someone took him to a local German restaurant. He wasn’t impressed—it was a starchy caricature of his native cuisine.

With a few notable exceptions (I haven’t forgotten you, Wunderbar), that seemed to be the rule for German cuisine in Cincinnati over the past several decades—oompah eateries serving up nostalgia with a side of lederhosen, a sad semblance of Zinzinnati’s German heyday.

But several newer eateries are trying to change this perception. Namely, Tuba Baking Co. in Dayton, Kentucky; Kantine Biergarten Eatery in Camp Washington; MidCity Restaurant, downtown; and Scheil’s own operation, The Lübecker in Over-theRhine. Better late than never.

Scheil left the corporate world a few years ago to start cooking professionally. It had always been his first love—like so many great cooks, he was taught by his mom and grandma—and he had dreamed of opening his own restaurant since he was 16. With the help of his wife Rachel, he made that dream a reality.

After several pop-ups and some time on the festival circuit (his team won an award for most authentic German food at Oktoberfest), Over-the-Rhine bar Queen City Radio approached him about serving German street food in its biergarten. That’s where you’ll find The Lübecker today. Named for Scheil’s hometown in northern Germany, the eatery takes no shortcuts. The garlic, lemon, and herb aioli for the massive, crispy schnitzel sandwich is made from scratch. Ditto the sauerkraut and the sauce for the currywurst. This is modern, cosmopolitan German food with

A new crop of restaurants is reshaping German food in Cincinnati.

—BRANDON WUSKE

an emphasis on freshness.

It’s exactly how Scheil wants it. And you certainly won’t find him in lederhosen any time soon. Lübeck being a coastal city, the vibe is more “shorts and sandals,” as Scheil puts it. That’s why you’ll find a pair of water skis in front of The Lübecker—an unexpected homage to his hometown, and one that fits right in with the summery vibes of the bar’s patio.

Peter Schuster at Kantine has a similar story. Like Scheil, he moved here for work. Unlike Scheil, he grew up in southern Germany, near the Austrian border. That region is a blend of German, Swiss, and Italian cultures. The menu at Kantine, which Schuster opened on the ground floor of a converted apartment building in summer 2022, reflects these diverse influences.

That’s why Schuster serves wurstsalat, a Swiss/German salad of chopped sausage, Swiss cheese, pickles, and onions. It’s also why he’s firing out pinsa, an airier, focaccia-like Roman style of pizza that has swept Germany. But Kantine’s menu goes beyond these regional influences to include nods to the myriad cultures that now call Germany home, like lahmacun, a Turkish flatbread covered with minced lamb, bell peppers, tomatoes, and Mediterranean spices. Nearly everything on Kantine’s menu is made from scratch, mostly with supplies from nearby Findlay Market.

Across the river at Tuba Baking Co., Drew Rath pays culinary homage to the southwestern German region of Swabia, where his ancestors came from. Rath got into cooking by way of genealogy. First, he researched his family’s cultural background, then he (extensively) researched the foods that defined that culture. The cozy tavern, with German beer on tap and old jazz music playing over the speakers, feels like one of the last holdouts from our bierstube days and Rath’s artisanal take on German comfort food matches that vibe.

I recommend the käsespätzle, a cheesy, chewy spelt noodle that is my ideal comfort food. The cheese

BEST AND WURST

From Kantine Biergarten Eatery’s wurstsalat to Mid-City Restaurant’s Mid-City Plate to Tuba Baking Co.’s giant pretzels, good German food is making a comeback in the Queen City in a major way.

20%OFFFOR STUDENTATHLETES

in question is a blend of Swiss and butterkäse (literally, “butter cheese”), a soft German variety that adds creaminess to the dish. Top it off with crispy-but-tender schnitzel and get a side of red cabbage slaw with a good horseradish bite.

Mid-City Restaurant, just a few blocks away from The Lübecker on Court Street, has a menu that extends far beyond Europe. But the “ Mid-City Plate” is up there with our city’s finest German meals. According to owner Mike Stankovich, it’s inspired by an Alsatian dish called choucroute garnie (French for “dressed sauerkraut”—this is from the historically disputed French/ German border region, after all). It can be ordered for one, two, or three people, but at minimum it comes with a bratwurst and frankfurter from Avril Bleh butchers, house-made porchetta, sauerkraut, boiled potatoes, and a sinusclearing mustard.

Porchetta is an Italian sliced pork roll. Stankovich is part Italian and grew up eating it. It’s a throwback to his childhood, while the rest of the dish is a nod to Cincinnati’s German heritage. And it does that heritage proud. The sauerkraut is strained and reconstituted with German beer and a pinch of caraway seeds while the addictive au jus that permeates the plate is made from bone stock. That’s a lot of work for a $15 plate, but it’s indicative of the vigor that has recently infused our city’s muchlamented German cuisine.

The days of a biergarten on every block may be long gone, but I daresay a new movement is starting to sprout from the gravel—one that unpretentiously explores the full breadth and depth of German cooking with the passion it deserves.

FYI

Tuba Baking Co., 517 Sixth Ave., Dayton, Kentucky, (859) 835-2171, facebook.com/tubabakingco

Mid-City Restaurant, 40 E. Court St., downtown, midcitycinti.com

Better Call Salsa

BANDITO FOOD PARK AND CANTINA BRINGS THE FUN OF A BACKYARD PARTY TO THE great indoors. Chill in a private two-seater cubby or challenge your friends to Jenga at a picnic table on the faux-turf lawn. The food is just as exciting as the ambience. Bandito’s tortilla chips and dips are worth the splurge. Tomatoes in the pico de gallo (tomato, jalapeño, and onion) taste like they just came off the vine, and each scoop is like a mouthful of summer. The rich, creamy queso is a must-try as well.

As good as the sides are, tacos dominate the menu. Whether you want something vegetarian, a lot of well-seasoned pork, or a fish taco worth writing home about, Bandito has you covered with more than a dozen options. The Porkopolis (al pastor, green pepper sauce, cilantro, red onion, radish, pineapple, spicy Moroccan red pepper sauce, and corn tortilla) shines. The meat is soft and savory, but it doesn’t work alone. Who knew radish could add so much to a taco? The crunch blends with the red onion and ties into the cilantro’s herbal notes without undermining the sauces. Just enough heat kicks through the layers to validate buying a drink, but won’t leave you in tears. It will make you wish you ordered a second, though.

Miss camping with friends? Gather a few and share the S’mores in a Skillet (milk chocolate, marshmallows, and graham crackers). It’s as tasty as the real thing, complete with golden-crisp marshmallows, and nearly as much fun.

YVETTE SIMPSON

THE FORMER POLITICIAN turned wine educator/maker discusses her new ventures.

How did you get into winemaking? I fell in love with wine over 20 years ago when I studied abroad in Italy. Gathering around a table with good food and great wine created a community that transcended language.

When did you start making wine? During the pandemic. My husband told me that Listermann Brewing was shipping wine juice from various regions around the world and suggested I consider making wine. When friends of mine told me that they had some equipment that they could lend me, I decided to give it a try. With that, Vette’s Vineyards was born.

What have you made so far? I hosted a socially distanced bottle, label, and release party on my birthday in 2020. I’ve crafted 10 small batch wines since that time, and I’m working now on two more, a Gewurztraminer and a red blend from Chile.

Tell us about your wine tastings. Wine Inculturated hosts in-person and virtual tastings, private events, and events open to the public. We walk you through the basics of how to evaluate and taste wine, and we cover everything you need to know about the specific wines we are tasting at each event. Anyone who wants to learn more about wine and wine tasting will walk away with a greater understanding and appreciation.

Read a longer interview with Yvette at cincinnatimagazine.com

Make New

Memories

FARM FRESH

Imagine the selection of a robust farmers’ market with none of the hassle of being outdoors, and you’ve got Country Fresh Farm Market & Wine Depot. Specializing in fresh produce, local beer and wine, and organic foods at reasonable prices, the store’s Anderson Township location has been a staple for east siders for years.

After learning the original owner wanted to focus more on Hartwell’s Country Fresh location, two former employees— Jamie Griffiths and David Bernens—approached him about taking over operations at Beechmont Avenue.

“We were two retired guys just working there as retiree jobs,” says Griffiths, a former Paycor employee (Bernens retired from Procter & Gamble). “I don’t think we would’ve done it if we didn’t know the store. We did it because we knew the people. We didn’t want it to end.”

The pair haven’t changed much about the selection since assuming ownership last summer. The store still carries all of the local and regional brands customers have come to love, including Snowville Creamery, Queen City Farms, and Roothouse Aquaponics. And the deli section is full of fan favorites, like fresh salads and smoked chicken salad.

“If you’ve never been in, you’ll notice there’s no frozen food section,” Griffiths says. “People come to us because we’ve got all the local and best produce. It’s a destination place for fresh foods.”

With their com-

bined wine knowledge, Griffiths and Bernens have stepped up Country Fresh’s wine game. Griffiths now puts his wine influencer status to use at the store, suggesting wines for customers. Since late 2020, he’s been sharing videos on TikTok about buying and drinking wine as well as useful wine hacks. “Trying to tie that in with the store has definitely helped wine sales,” he adds. Friday night wine tastings regularly

attract more than 100 attendees.

Griffiths attributes the store’s continued success to the six managers who give input on what works best on the shelves. The two were able to keep all of the managers when they took over, ensuring a smoother transition.

“We’re running it like there are six other owners of the store,” Griffiths adds. “We’re relying on them to tell us what we need to do. That’s the key.”

BACK INTO THE GAME

Whether developing the latest regenerative treatments for meniscus tears, or teaching surgeons across the region the most advanced orthopaedic procedures, these UC College of Medicine physician-scientists are sports medicine experts. And nothing is more important to them than getting you back to doing what you love. From high school and professional athletes to weekend warriors, UC Physicians provides next generation orthopaedic and sports medicine care—providing the right thing at the right time for everyone. right here in Cincinnati.

med.uc.edu/indispensable

SPICE GIRL

MANSI SHAH, THE cofounder of Down the Road Spice Co., wants to change how you use Indian spices.

“Indian food is notoriously complex to cook,” she says. “For us, food is an important community connector so it’s important to make a broader variety of true, home-style Indian food and flavors more accessible.” With that in mind, Shah has been using single-origin organic spices to make smallbatch masalas (spice blends). Her Covingtonbased business sells six blends, including the top sellers tandoori, chai, and Kitchen Queen. The tandoori can be combined with olive oil and lime juice for a marinade for grilled or roasted meats, veggies, or seafood. The chai is a warm, earthy blend used in proper Indian tea preparation, while Kitchen Queen is a finishing spice that adds serious flavor to nearly any dish. Shah plans to roll out new products in the next year or so while building a full supply chain of spices straight from India. “Our masalas do most of the heavy lifting by combining all of the spices and aromatics needed,” she says. “All our consumers have to do is add in a couple of fresh ingredients to get a home-cooked Indian meal in minutes.”

AMERICAN 76

BARBECUE 81

CAJUN/CARIBBEAN 81

CHINESE 82

ECLECTIC 83

FRENCH 88

INDIAN 88

ITALIAN 89

JAPANESE 90

KOREAN 90

MEDITERRANEAN 90

MEXICAN 92

SEAFOOD 92

STEAKS 92

THAI 95

VIETNAMESE 95

AMERICAN

THE BIRCH

On any given evening, guests nibble at spicy hummus served with French breakfast radishes and pita bread while sipping slightly spumante glasses of Spanish Txakolina. And while the dinner menu reads strictly casual at first glance—soups, salads, and sandwiches and sharing plates—the preparation and quality are anything but. A chef salad with chopped romaine, sweet peas, applewood smoked bacon, hard-boiled egg, and sunflower seeds surpassed many versions of the bistro classic. And both the Brussels sprouts and fingerling potato sides refused to play merely supporting roles. Both were sensational studies in the balance of sweet, spicy, and acidic flavors.

702 Indian Hill Rd., Terrace Park, (513) 8315678, thebirchtp.com. Lunch and dinner Tues–Sat. MCC, DS. $

BOOMTOWN BISCUITS & WHISKEY

Boomtown leans hard into the Gold Rush theme: prospector-style overall aprons on servers, bluegrass tunes humming, and rustic decor details. And the dense grub isn’t for the faint of heart. Arrive with an empty belly, ready for a carbo load. The biscuits are all they’re cracked up to be, and the gravy’s not playing around, either. Sample its biscuits and gravy styles with a gravy flight. Or try The Yukon, an anytime breakfast sandwich, featuring fried chicken on par with the best the city has to offer. By the end of the meal, you’ll feel a little out of place without your own denim getup.

9039 U.S. Route 42, Suite H, Union, (859) 384-5910, boomtownbiscuitsandwhiskey. com. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner Tues–Sat. Breakfast and lunch Sun. MCC. $

BRONTË BISTRO

You might think this is a lunch-only spot where you can nosh on a chicken salad sandwich after browsing next door at Joseph-Beth Booksellers. But this Norwood eatery feels welcoming after work, too. The dinner menu features entrées beyond the rotating soup and quiche roster that’s popular at noon. Mac and cheese? Check. Quesa-

DINING GUIDE

CINCINNATI MAGAZINE’S dining guide is compiled by our editors as a service to our readers. The magazine accepts no advertising or other consideration in exchange for a restaurant listing.

The editors may add or delete restaurants based on their judgment. Because of space limitations, all

WINNERS’ CIRCLE

Four local breweries won big at the Brewers Association’s 2023 World Beer Cup this spring. Rhinegeist Brewery’s Cheetah and Sonder Brewing’s Voss took gold in the “Americanstyle Cream Ale” and “German-style Koelsch” categories, respectively, while Streetside Brewery’s Black Cat took silver in the “Englishstyle Brown Ale” category. Third Eye Brewing Co.’s Higher Purpose snagged bronze in “Sweet Stout or Cream Stout.” worldbeercup.org/ winners/currentwinners

of the guide’s restaurants may not be included. Many restaurants have changing seasonal menus; dishes listed here are examples of the type of cuisine available and may not be on the menu when you visit.

To update listings, e-mail: cmletters@cincinnati magazine.com

dillas and other starters? Yep. An assortment of burgers? Present, including a grilled portobello option. Casual food rules the day but the surprise is Brontë Bistro’s lineup of adult beverages, which elevates the place above a basic bookstore coffeeshop. The regular drinks menu includes such mainstays as cosmopolitans and sidecars.

2692 Madison Rd., Norwood, (513) 396-8970, josephbeth.com. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner seven days. MCC. $

BROWN DOG CAFÉ

If you haven’t had a plate of Shawn McCoy’s design set in front of you, it’s about time. Many of the menu’s dishes show his knack for the plate as a palette. A trio of grilled lamb t-bone, boar tenderloin, and prawns in scampi butter is a standout. The eye for detail and contrasts of colors and textures belongs to someone who cares for food.

1000 Summit Place, Blue Ash, (513) 794-1610, browndogcafe.com. Lunch and dinner Mon–Sat, brunch Sat. MCC, DS. $$

COPPIN’S

With wine on tap and an extensive local beer list, Coppin’s is an ideal place to meet for drinks. In addition to plenty of Kentucky bourbon, much of the produce, meat, and cheese comes from local growers and producers. House-cured meat and cheese from Kenny’s Farmhouse and cheese from Urban Stead populate the “Artisan Cheese and Charcuterie Board,” which dresses up the main attractions with honey, dijon mustard, house pickles, and Sixteen Bricks purple barley bread. The mussels—made with seasonally rotating sauces and chorizo from Napoleon Ridge Farms in Gallatin County—were served with a peppery tomato sauce, perfect for sopping up with bread. The seven-ounce Sakura Farms Wagyu ribeye with wild mushrooms, roasted parsnip, and beef jus is a must have. Or try the striped bass with grape farro roasted broccolini and mussel cream sauce.

638 Madison Ave., Covington, (859) 9056600, hotelcovington.com/dining/coppins.

Breakfast seven days, lunch Mon–Fri, and dinner Thurs–Sun. MCC. $$

THE EAGLE OTR

The revamped post office at 13th and Vine feels cozy but not claustrophobic, and it has distinguished itself with its stellar fried chicken. Even

KEY: No checks unless specified.

AE American Express, DC Diners Club

DS Discover, MC MasterCard, V Visa

MCC Major credit cards: AE, MC, V

$ = Under $15 $$ = Up to $30

$$$ = Up to $49

$$$$ = $50 and up

Top 10 = Named a Best Restaurant March 2023.

the white meat was pull-apart steamy, with just enough peppery batter to pack a piquant punch. Diners can order by the quarter, half, or whole bird—but whatever you do, don’t skimp on the sides. Bacon adds savory mystery to crisp corn, green beans, and edamame (not limas) in the succotash, and the crock of mac and cheese has the perfect proportion of sauce, noodle, and crumb topping. The Eagle OTR seems deceptively simple on the surface, but behind that simplicity is a secret recipe built on deep thought, skill, and love.

1342 Vine St., Over-the-Rhine, (513) 802-5007, eaglerestaurant.com. Lunch Fri–Sun, dinner Mon–Thurs. MCC. $

EMBERS

The menu here is built for celebration: poshly priced steak and sushi selections are meant to suit every special occasion. Appetizers are both classic (shrimp cocktail) and Asian-inspired (shrimp tempura); fashionable ingredients are name-checked (micro-greens and truffles); a prominent sushi section (nigiri, sashimi, and rolls) precedes a list of archetypal salads; Kobe beef on sushi rolls sidles up to steaks of prime; non-steak entrées (Chilean sea bass or Dover sole with haricots verts and almondine) make for high-style alternative selections. Talk about a party.

8170 Montgomery Rd., Madeira, (513) 9848090, embersrestaurant.com. Dinner seven days. MCC, DC, DS. $$$$

GREYHOUND TAVERN

Back in the streetcar days, this roughly 100-yearold roadhouse was at the end of the Dixie Highway line, where the cars turned around to head north. The place was called the Dixie Tea Room then, and they served ice cream. The fried chicken came along in the 1930s, and they’re still dishing it up today. Families and regulars alike pile in on Mondays and Tuesdays for the fried chicken dinner. While the juicy (never greasy) chicken with its lightly seasoned, crisp coating is the star, the side dishes—homemade biscuits, cole slaw, green beans, mashed potatoes, and gravy—will make you ask for seconds. Call ahead no matter what night you choose: There’s bound to be a crowd. Not in the mood for chicken? Choose from steaks, seafood, sandwiches, and comfort food options that include meatloaf and a Kentucky Hot Brown. Or just try the onion rings. You’ll wonder where

onions that big come from.

2500 Dixie Highway, Ft. Mitchell, (859) 331-3767, greyhoundtavern.com. Lunch and dinner seven days, brunch Sat & Sun. MCC, DS. $$

GOOSE & ELDER

The third restaurant from chef Jose Salazar, Goose & Elder is a more everyday kind of joint compared to his others. The prices are lower, and most of the dishes, from burgers to grits, are familiar. Salazar’s menus have always hinted that the chef had a fondness for, well, junk food. But junk food is only junk if it is made thoughtlessly. Everything here is made with little twists, like the cumin-spiced potato chips and delicate ribbons of housemade cucumber pickles with a sweet rice wine vinegar. Even the fries, crinkle cut and served with “goose sauce,” a mildly spiced mayonnaise, are wonderfully addictive. The restaurant demonstrates that what we now consider “fast food” can be awfully good if someone makes it the old-fashioned, slow way.

1800 Race St., Over-the-Rhine, (513) 579-8400, gooseandelder.com. Breakfast and lunch Mon & Wed–Fri, dinner Mon & Wed–Sun, brunch Sat & Sun. MCC. $$

Top10

IVORY HOUSE

The menu here generally doesn’t reinvent dishes or introduce outlandish flavors, but simply pays attention to enough little things to make the results unusually good. The Wagyu is served in cheeseburger form, but the exceptional tomme from Urban Stead gives it that extra something. The cocktails are things you’ve probably seen before, but everything—from the Death Valley Old Fashioned to the Queen City’s Bees Knees—had an extra dash of liveliness from a house-made element, like a rhubarb honey syrup or the raspberry shrub. Even when an ingredient seems out of left field, like the burnt grapefruit hot sauce on the Hamachi, it never tastes as unusual as it sounds. The hot sauce is just a hint of sweet citrusy spice that melts into the grits—a softly intriguing element rather than a slap in the face. Ivory House also has an excellent brunch.

2998 Harrison Ave., Westwood, (513) 389-0175, ivoryhousecincy.com. Dinner Tues–Sat, brunch Sun. MCC. $$$

THE NATIONAL EXEMPLAR

The classics are here—prime rib with horseradish and au jus; liver and onions; an eight-ounce filet with bernaise— plus some new favorites, including short rib pasta. Or have breakfast, English-style: fried eggs, bacon, sausage, stewed beans, roasted tomatoes, and buttered toast. The dinner menu also features burgers, risotto, pasta, seafood, and plenty more lighter options.

6880 Wooster Pke., Mariemont, (513) 271-2103, nationalexemplar.com. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner seven days. MCC, DS. $$

THE NORTHSTAR CAFÉ

In Northstar’s first outpost beyond the Greater Columbus area, the space itself reflects the ethos of the food: warm and comfortable, but still modern and fresh. The dinner and cocktail menus are fab, as is the large bar. But breakfast is worth waking up early for. Take the mushroom frittata, made with meaty mushrooms, caramelized sweet onions, and Gruyère. The portions are no joke—that frittata comes with breakfast potatoes and arugula—yet it doesn’t feel gluttonous or excessive. In large part that’s due to the freshness (e.g., the sausage made in-house daily) and the abundance of healthy options. One of our favorites: the shooting star juice, a balanced blend of carrot, ginger, orange, and lemon.

7610 Sloan Way, Liberty Township, (513) 759-0033, thenorthstarcafe.com. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner seven days. MCC. No cash. $

OTTO’S

Chef/owner Paul Weckman opened Otto’s, named after his father-in-law, with $300 worth of food and one employee—himself. Weckman’s food is soothing, satisfying, and occasionally, too much of a good thing. His tomato pie is beloved by lunch customers: Vineripe tomatoes, fresh basil, and chopped green onions packed into a homemade pie shell, topped with a cheddar cheese spread, and baked until bubbly. Weckman’s

straightforward preparations are best. The shrimp and grits with sauteed shrimp spinach, mushrooms, Cajun beurre blanc atop a fried grit cake, short ribs braised in red wine and herbs, served over mashed potatoes with green beans and caramelized baby carrots that will bring you the comfort of a home-cooked meal. This is, at its heart, a neighborhood restaurant, a place with its own large, quirky family.

521 Main St., Covington, (859) 491-6678, ottosonmain.com. Lunch and dinner Tues–Fri, brunch and dinner Sat–Mon. MCC. $$

QUATMAN CAFÉ

The quintessential neighborhood dive, Quatman’s sits in the shadow of the Our Lady of the Holy Spirit Center, serving up a classic bar burger. Look elsewhere if you like your burger with exotic toppings: This half-pound of grilled beef is served with lettuce, tomato, onion, and pickle. Sometimes cheese. The no-frills theme is straightforward and appealing. A menu of standard sandwich fare and smooth mock turtle soup; beer on tap or soda in cans (no wine or liquor); and checkered tablecloths, serving baskets, and plenty of kitsch is served daily. Peppered with regulars, families, and political discussions, Quatman’s is far from fancy. But it is fun, fast, and delicious.

2434 Quatman Ave., Norwood, (513) 731-4370, quatmancafe.com. Lunch and dinner Mon–Sat. MC, V, DS, MCC. $

RED FEATHER KITCHEN

Historically peasant-grade cuts of meat get the full Pygmalion treatment at Red Feather in Oakley, where there’s deep respect for the time and tending necessary to bring a short rib, pork chop, or steak to its full potential. After a quick sear to lock in juices, the steak takes a turn in the wood-fired oven. While primal cuts play a leading role, the supporting cast is just as captivating. The French onion soup is especially warming on a winter evening and the crispy skin on the salmon acts as the foil to the plump, rich flesh. Service here only improves the experience.

3200 Madison Rd., Oakley, (513) 407-3631, redfeatherkitchen.com. Dinner Wed–Sat, brunch Sun. MCC. $$$

RED ROOST TAVERN

At its best, Red Roost Tavern—located in the Hyatt Regency, downtown—meets its singular challenge with verve: offering a locally sourced sensibility to an increasingly demanding dining public while introducing out-of-town guests to unique Cincinnati foods. Take the goetta, rich pork capturing the earthiness of the steel-cut oats, served as a hash with sweet potatoes and poached eggs. The seasoning added a restrained, almost mysterious hint of black pepper. But the kitchen’s talent seems straightjacketed. Chefs thrive on instincts not covered by the five senses; restaurants thrive by taking careful risks. Red Roost seems to be struggling to find its third eye, and sometimes the entrées don’t live up to their ambitions.

151 W. Fifth St., downtown, (513) 354-4025, redroosttavern.com. Breakfast and lunch Sat & Sun, dinner seven days. MCC,DS. $$$

RON’S ROOST

They stake their reputation on their fried chicken, serving 10,000 pieces weekly. It takes a few minutes, since each batch is made to order. Ron’s also serves chicken 18 other ways, including chicken livers in gravy. It’s all about the chicken here, but that’s not all they have. The menu is five solid pages of stuff good enough to be called specialties: Oktoberfest sauerbraten, Black Angus cheeseburgers, fried whitefish on rye, hot bacon slaw, lemon meringue pie (homemade, of course), and the best Saratoga chips this side of Saratoga. 3853 Race Rd., Bridgetown, (513) 574-0222, ronsroost.net. Breakfast Sun, lunch and dinner seven days. MCC, DS. $$

THE SCHOOLHOUSE RESTAURANT

An old flag stands in one corner and pictures of Abe Lincoln and the first George W. hang on the wall of this

Civil War–era schoolhouse. The daily menu of familiar Midwestern comfort fare is written in letter-perfect cursive on the original chalkboard. Once you order from a woman who bears an uncanny resemblance to your high school lunch lady, the elevated lazy Susan in the center of the table begins to fill up with individual bowls and baskets of corn bread, slaw, salad, mashed potatoes, chicken gravy, and vegetables. The deal here is quantity. More mashed potatoes with your fried chicken? More corn bread with your baked ham? You don’t even have to raise your hand.

8031 Glendale-Milford Rd., Camp Dennison, (513) 8315753, theschoolhousecincinnati.com. Lunch Sun, dinner Fri–Sun. MCC, DS. $

SOUL SECRETS

You no longer need an event to celebrate with a fish fry. At Candice Holloway’s restaurant, Soul Secrets, fried chicken and fish are always on the menu. Servers wearing T-shirts that read “my ancestors sent me” introduce guests to a trim menu full of the best soul food. You can’t go wrong with the fish platters. The whiting is good, but the catfish is divine. The cornmeal breading is so perfectly seasoned you won’t need salt, and the light crunch it adds doesn’t hide the star of the show. So soft it’s nearly fluffy, the catfish melts in your mouth. Each catfish platter delivers two enormous pieces of fish along with two sides and a cornbread muffin that may be the best in Cincinnati. This is the kind of meal you take home with you—not just in your heart but in a box—because chances are low you’ll conquer all the fish and sides in one go.

1434 Vine St., Over-the-Rhine, (513) 721-7685, soulsecretscincy.com. Lunch and dinner Tues–Sat. MCC. $

SUGAR N’ SPICE

This Paddock Hills diner, with other locations in Over-theRhine and Blue Ash, has been dishing up wispy-thin pancakes and football-sized omelettes to Cincinnatians since FDR was signing new deals. Breakfast and lunch offerings mix old-hat classics like steak and eggs, corned beef hash, and basic burgers with funky iterations that draw on ethnic ingredients such as chorizo and tzatziki. Get here early if you don’t want to stand in line.

4381 Reading Rd., Paddock Hills, (513)242-3521; 1203 Sycamore St., Over-the-Rhine, (513) 762-0390; 10275 Summit Pkwy., Blue Ash, (513) 447-6453, eatsugarnspice. com. Breakfast and lunch seven days. MCC. $

TANO BISTRO

This Loveland bistro is comfortable, with reasonably priced food and amenable service. The menu is tidy—25 or so dishes divided between appetizers, salads, and entrées, plus two or three specials—its flavor profile partially influenced by a childhood growing up in a third generation Italian family. Most of Tano Bistro’s main courses lean toward the comfortable side of American. For instance, Williams serves a stuffed salmon and an allegiance pork chop. The sprout & snout appetizer is also worth a trip to Loveland, combining balsamic-drizzled brussels sprouts with sliced pork belly.

204 W. Loveland Ave., Loveland, (513) 683-8266, foodbytano.com. Lunch and dinner Tues–Sat. MCC. $$$

TELA BAR + KITCHEN

Classically conceived but casually executed comfort food, including a royale with cheese, mac and cheese topped with a Mr. Pibb–braised pulled short rib, and steak frites with garlic aioli. Servers are slightly scattered, yet enthusiastic and friendly, with a good grasp of the beverage program.

1212 Springfield Pke., Wyoming, (513) 821-8352, telabarandkitchen.com. Lunch and dinner Tues–Sat. MCC. $$

TRIO

Trio is nothing if not a crowd pleaser. Whether you’re in the mood for a California-style pizza or filet mignon (with roasted red potatoes, sauteed spinach, crispy onions, and a red wine demi glace), the menu is broad enough to offer something for everyone. It may lack a cohesive point of view, but with the number of regulars who come in seven nights a week, variety is Trio’s ace in the hole. A simple Margherita pizza with roma tomatoes, basil, Parmesan, and mozzarella delivered a fine balance of crunchy crust, soft cheese, and sweet, roasted tomatoes. Paired with a glass of pinot noir, it made a perfect light meal. The service is friendly enough for a casual neighborhood joint but comes with white tablecloth attentiveness and knowledge. Combine that with the consistency in the kitchen, and Trio is a safe bet.

7565 Kenwood Rd., Kenwood, (513) 984-1905, triobistro.com. Lunch and dinner seven days. MCC, DC. $$

THE WILDFLOWER CAFÉ

Wildflower Café is not the sort of place that tries to wow anyone with feats of inventiveness. Its formula is simple but satisfying: lots of mostly local meat and produce, a menu that continuously changes with available ingredients, a nice selection of wine and beer, and well-made, homey food. The small, focused menu has a classic American quality (salads, steaks, burgers) with enough surprises to keep things interesting. Many of the dishes are designed with open spaces to be filled with whatever is available in the kitchen that day, an advantage of an unfussy style. You don’t go to Wildflower expecting a certain kind of perfection; you accept that your favorite dish from last time might be made differently tonight, or no longer available. Like the farmhouse that Wildflower occupies, the imperfections are part of the charm. 207 E. Main St., Mason, (513) 492-7514, wildflowermason.com. Dinner Mon–Fri. MCC. $$$

YORK STREET CAFÉ

Five blocks from the Newport riverfront, Terry and Betsy Cunningham have created the sort of comfortable, wel-

coming environment that encourages steady customers. A dependable menu and quirky atmosphere appeal to a broad range of diners, from non-adventurous visiting relatives to non-attentive children. Desserts have always been one of the stars: flourless chocolate hazelnut torte, bittersweet, rich and moist; butter rum pudding that would be equally at home on a picnic table or a finely dressed Michelin-starred table.

738 York St., Newport, (859) 261-9675, yorkstonline. com. Lunch Tues–Fri. Dinner Tues–Sat. MCC, DS. $$

BARBECUE

BEE’S BARBEQUE

You’ll want to get to Bee’s Barbecue in Madisonville early if you want to avoid the line of friendly regulars. The restaurant’s smoker churns out a variety of meats—including brisket, pulled pork, ribs, turkey breast, and two kinds of sausage—so it’s easy to see why they keep coming back. If you enjoy the spicy grease that oozes out of a good chorizo, you’ll love the Cincinnati Hot Link, which tastes like the delicious love child of a chorizo and a hot mett. Word to the wise: Bee’s opens at 11 a.m. and closes when they run out of meat. Understandably, this doesn’t take long.

5910 Chandler St., Madisonville, (513) 561-2337, beesbarbecue.com. Lunch and dinner Wed–Sat. MCC. $

ELI’S BBQ

Elias Leisring started building his pulled pork reputation under canopies at Findlay Market and Fountain Square in 2011. Leisring’s proper little ’cue shack along the river serves up ribs that are speaking-in-tongues good, some of the zazziest jalapeño cheese grits north of the MasonDixon line, and browned mashed potatoes that would make any short order cook diner-proud. The small no-frills res-

taurant—packed cheek-by-jowl most nights—feels like it’s been there a lifetime, with customers dropping vinyl on the turntable, dogs romping in the side yard, and picnic tables crowded with diners. The hooch is bring-your-own, and the barbecue is bona fide.

3313 Riverside Dr., East End, (513) 533-1957, elisbarbeque.com. Lunch and dinner seven days. MCC. $

SINNERS & SAINTS TAVERN

You won’t leave this Texas smokehouse/sports bar hungry. From the brisket—served with Texas BBQ sauce, white bread, and pickles, or on toasted sourdough—to the chicken thighs, you can’t go wrong with these richly smoked flavors. Several dishes, like the Korean style pork belly, the pulled pork naan tacos, and Bigos stew, draw on global influences, while the sides take flavors back to the country (try the creamy coleslaw, the house-made mac and cheese, and chili-spiced cornbread). The restaurant’s character shines through its decor, which includes hanging hockey memorabilia, pictures of public figures and tables made from real NBA courts.

2062 Riverside Dr., East End, (513) 281-4355, sinsaintsmoke.com. Lunch Sat & Sun, dinner Tues–Sun. MCC. $$

WALT’S HITCHING POST

A Northern Kentucky institution returns. Roughly 750 pounds of ribs per week are pit-fired in a small building in front of the restaurant, with a smaller dedicated smoker out back for brisket and chicken. Walt’s ribs begin with several hours in the smokehouse and then are quick-seared at the time of service. This hybrid method takes advantage of the leaner nature of the baby-back ribs they prefer to use. Each rib had a just-right tooth to it where soft flesh peeled away from the bone. One hidden treasure: Walt’s housemade tomato and garlic dressing. Slightly thicker than a vinaigrette yet unwilling to overwhelm a plate of greens, the two key elements play well together.

3300 Madison Pke., Ft. Wright, (859) 360-2222, waltshitchingpost.com. Dinner seven days. MCC. $$

CAJUN/ CARIBBEAN

BREWRIVER CREOLE

More than 800 miles from New Orleans, this may be as close as you can get to the real deal here in your own backyard. The menu fully leans into Chef Michael Shields’s penchant for cuisine from the Crescent City. His six years of training under NOLA’s own Emeril Lagasse comes through in a scratch kitchen menu that spans a range of the city’s classics. The enormous shrimp and oyster po’ boys—the former protein fried in a light and crispy beer batter and the latter in a hearty cornmeal breading—are served on fluffy French bread loaves and dressed with lightly spicy rémoulades. The jambalaya packs all the heat of a late summer day in the French Quarter without masking a hint of its satisfying flavors. Paired with a Sazerac and nightly live jazz, you may just feel tempted to start a second line.

4632 Eastern Ave., Linwood, (513) 861-2484, brewrivercreolekitchen.com. Dinner Tues–Sun, brunch and lunch Sat & Sun. MCC. $

SWAMPWATER GRILL

At first blush, this place is a dive where homesick Cajuns can find a good pile of jambalaya. But thoughtful details like draft Abita Root Beer and char-grilled Gulf Coast oysters on the half shell signal its ambition. Bayou standards like jambalaya, gumbo, and fried seafood also make an appearance. But the extensive menu also features amped up pub-style items for those who may be squeamish about crawfish tails (which can be added to just about anything on the menu). You’ll also find a roundup of oyster, shrimp, catfish, and alligator Po’Boys, as well as a selection of hardwood-smoked meats.

3742 Kellogg Ave., East End, (513) 834-7067, swampwatergrill.com. Lunch and dinner Wed–Sun, brunch Sat & Sun. V, MC, DS, AMEX. $$

KNOTTY PINE ON THE BAYOU

The Pine serves some of the best Louisiana home-style food you’ll find this far north of New Orleans. Taste the fried catfish filets with their peppery crust, or the garlic sauteed shrimp with smoky greens on the side, and you’ll understand why it’s called soul food. Between March and June, it’s crawfish season. Get them boiled and heaped high on a platter or in a superb crawfish etouffee. But the rockin’ gumbo—a thick, murky brew of andouille sausage, chicken, and vegetables— serves the best roundhouse punch all year round. As soon as you inhale the bouquet and take that first bite, you realize why Cajun style food is considered a high art form and a serious pleasure. And you’ll start planning your return trip.

6302 Licking Pke., Cold Spring, (859) 781-2200, theknottypineonthebayou.com. Dinner Tues–Sun. MCC, DS. $$

CHINESE

AMERASIA

A sense of energetic fun defines this tiny Chinese spot with a robust beer list. The glossy paper menu depicts Master Chef Rich Chu as a “Kung Food” master fighting the evil fast-food villain with dishes like “fly rice,” “Brocco-Lee,” and “Big Bird’s Nest.” Freshness rules. Pot stickers, dumplings, and wontons are hand shaped. The Dragon’s Breath wontons will invade your dreams. Seasoned ground pork, onion, and cilantro meatballs are wrapped in egg dough, wok simmered, and topped with thick, spicy red pepper sauce and

fresh cilantro. Noodles are clearly Chef Chu’s specialty, with zonxon (a tangle of thin noodles, finely chopped pork, and mushrooms cloaked in spicy dark sauce and crowned with peanuts and cilantro) and Matt Chu’s Special (shaved rice noodle, fried chicken, and seasonal vegetables in gingery white sauce) topping the menu’s flavor charts.

521 Madison Ave., Covington, (859) 261-6121 , amerasia. carry-out.com. Lunch Mon–Fri, dinner Sat. MCC. $

CHINESE IMPERIAL INN

The chilies-on-steroids cooking here will have you mopping beads of garlic-laced sweat from your brow. The musky, firecracker-red Mongolian chicken stabilizes somewhere just before nirvana exhaustion, and aggressively pungent shredded pork with dried bean curd leaves your eyes gloriously glistening from its spicy hot scarlet oil. Even an ice cold beer practically evaporates on your tongue. Do not fear: not all the dishes are incendiary. Try the seafood—lobster, Manila clams, Dungeness and blue crabs, whelk, and oysters— prepared with tamer garlicky black bean sauce, or ginger and green onions. The Cantonese wonton soup, nearly as mild as your morning bowl of oatmeal, is as memorable as the feverish stuff. Sliced pork and shrimp are pushed into the steaming bowl of noodles and greens just before serving. Think comforting, grandmotherly tenderness.

11042 Reading Rd., Sharonville, (513) 563-6888, chineseimperialinn.com. Lunch and dinner seven days. MC, V, DS. $

GREAT TANG

Although the (24-page!) menu features classic dishes in every style, the specialty at Great Tang is the refined coastal cuisine of Zhejiang. If you like spice, you can get still the Sichuanese and Hunanese classics. One dish will hint at the surprises in store for people who are mainly used to Chinese takeout: the lovely Xian cold noodle. The dish is exquisitely layered: the creamy and nutty undertone of sesame paste, mixed with notes of tang and spice, topped with the bright pop of cilantro. The combination of textures

is also delightful, with crunches of cucumber and sprouted mung and the softness of the flat noodles. And that tofu! It was wonderfully meaty, with dense layers, substantial and satisfying as a counterpart to the noodles. Be as brave as you are in the mood to be. Ask for some suggestions and prepare to be astonished.

7340 Kingsgate Way, West Chester, (513) 847-6097, greattangohio.com. Lunch and dinner Wed–Mon, dim sum Sat & Sun. V, DS, MC, AMEX. $$

ORIENTAL WOK

When Mike and Helen Wong opened Oriental Wok in 1977, the couple wanted to recreate the glamor and refinement of the Hong Kong-Cantonese cuisine they knew. Today, locals and expats alike enjoy authentic Chinese and Chinese-American dishes in dining rooms reminiscent of Beijing. Beyond the elephant tusk entryway and fish ponds and fountains is the warmth and hospitality of the Wong family, service on par with the finest establishments, and very, very good food. Best are the fresh fish: salmon, grouper and sea bass steamed, grilled or fried in a wok, needing little more than the ginger-green onion sauce that accompanies them. Oriental Wok is the tri-state’s longest-running family-owned Chinese restaurant for a reason.

317 Buttermilk Pke., Ft. Mitchell, (859) 331-3000; 2444 Madison Rd., Hyde Park, (513) 871-6888, orientalwok. com. Lunch Mon–Fri (Ft. Mitchell; buffet Sun 11–2:30), lunch Tues–Sat (Hyde Park), dinner Mon–Sat (Ft. Mitchell) dinner Tues–Sun (Hyde Park). MCC. $$

THE PACIFIC KITCHEN

The monster of a menu can be dizzying. Ease in with some top-notch Korean Wings. These slightly bubbly, shatter-crisp wings are painted with a thin gochujang chili sauce (a foil to the fat). It takes 24 hours to prep the Cantonese duck, between a honey-vinegar brine to dry the skin, a marinade of star anise, bean paste, and soy within the re-sealed cavity, and the crispy convection oven finish. Dolsot bibimbap had plenty of crispy rice at the bottom of the stone bowl,

and the accompanying banchan were soothing yet flavorful. Even dishes like a Malaysian goat stew resonated with rich, original flavors..

8300 Market Place Lane, Montgomery, (513) 898-1833, thepacific.kitchen. Lunch and dinner Mon & Wed–Sun, dim sum lunch Sat & Sun. MCC. $$

RAYMOND’S HONG KONG CAFÉ

It has all the elements of your typical neighborhood Chinese restaurant: Strip mall location. General Tso and kung pao chicken. Fortune cookies accompanying the bill. The dragon decoration. But it is the nontraditional aspects of Raymond’s Hong Kong Café that allow it to stand apart. The menu goes beyond standard Chinese fare with dishes that range from Vietnamese (beef noodle soup) to American (crispy Cornish hen). The Portuguese-style baked chicken references Western European influences on Chinese cuisine with an assemblage of fried rice, peppers, carrots, broccoli, zucchini, and squash all simmering together in a creamy bath of yellow curry sauce. Deciding what to order is a challenge, but at least you won’t be disappointed.

11051 Clay Dr., Walton, (859) 485-2828. Lunch and dinner seven days. MCC. $$

SICHUAN BISTRO CHINESE GOURMET

Like many Chinese restaurants that cater to both mainstream American and Chinese palates, this strip mall gem uses two menus. The real story here is found in dishes of pungent multi-layered flavors that set your mouth ablaze with fermented peppers and fresh chilies and then just as quickly cool it down with the devilish, numbing sensation of hua jiao, Sichuan pepper. Its numbing effect is subtle at first: appetizers of cold sliced beef and tripe, as well as slices of pork belly with a profusion of minced garlic, lean toward the hot and sweet; mapo tofu freckled with tiny fermented black beans and scallions, and pork with pickled red peppers and strips of ginger root, progress from sweet to pungent to hot to salty—in that order. Alternated with

cooling dishes—nibbles of rice, a verdant mound of baby bok choy stir-fried with a shovelful of garlic, refreshing spinach wilted in ginger sauce, a simply sensational tea-smoked duck—the effect is momentarily tempered.

7888 S. Mason Montgomery Rd., Mason, (513) 7703123, sichuanbistro.com. Lunch and dinner Tues–Sun. MCC, DS. $$

UNCLE YIP’S

Long before sushi somehow un-disgusted itself to the Western World, China had houses of dim sum. Uncle Yip’s valiantly upholds that tradition in Evendale. This is a traditional dim sum house with all manner of exotic dumplings, including shark fin or beef tripe with ginger and onion. As for the seafood part of the restaurant’s full name, Uncle Yip has most everything the sea has to offer, from lobster to mussels. The menu has more than 160 items, so you’ll find a range of favorites, from moo goo gai pan to rock salt frog legs.

10736 Reading Rd., Evendale, (513) 733-8484, uncleyips.com. Lunch and dinner seven days. MCC, discount for cash. $$

ECLECTIC

Top10 ABIGAIL STREET

Most people who’ve eaten at Abigail Street have favorite dishes that they order every visit: the Moroccan spiced broccoli, for example, or the mussels charmoula, with its perfect balance of saffron, creaminess, and tomatoey acidity. Many of the new items on the menu have the same perfected feeling as these classics. Working within a loose framework of Middle Eastern and North African flavors, Abigail Street has never fallen into a routine that would sap its energy. New offerings like the wood-grilled kefta, with charred tomatoes, peppers, and whipped tahini,

feel just as accomplished as old favorites like the falafel, beautifully moist and crumbly with a bright parsley interior. The restaurant is always watching for what works and what will truly satisfy, ready to sacrifice the superficially interesting in favor of the essential.

1214 Vine St., Over-the-Rhine, (513) 421-4040, abigailstreet.com. Dinner Tues–Sat. MCC, DS. $$

Top10 BOCA

With its grand staircase, chandelier, and floorto-ceiling draperies, Boca has an atmosphere of grandeur and refinement. There is a sense of drama not only in the decor but in everything it serves. In some dishes, there is a painterly sense of contrast and surprise, like violet-derived purple sugar beside the pain de Gênes (French almond cake). In others, there is a dramatic suspense, like the whole egg yolk quivering in the center of the Fassone tartare waiting to be broken. While staying mostly grounded in the fundamentals of Italian and French cuisine, Boca has an air of international sophistication that sets its food apart. The hamachi crudo, an old standby on the menu, takes Japanese flavors and gives them new dimensions with grapefruit suprêmes and slivers of shishito pepper. This is food of extraordinary creativity and flair.

114 E. Sixth St., downtown, (513) 542-2022, bocacincinnati.com. Dinner Mon–Sat. MCC, DS. $$$

Top10 BOUQUET RESTAURANT AND WINE BAR

Normally diners aren’t pleased when a restaurant runs out of something. At Bouquet, though, surprise changes to the menu are simply a sign of integrity. Chef-owner Stephen Williams is serious about using seasonal ingredients, and if the figs have run out or there is no more chicken from a local farm, so be it. The flavors at Bouquet are about doing justice to what’s available. Preparations are unfussy, complexity coming from within the vegetables and proteins themselves. A spring salad—wonderfully fresh and

vibrant, so you know the strawberries included have just come off a nearby vine—is dressed with candy-striped beets, jerk-seasoned pepitas and whipped goat cheese. This determination to make something delicious out of what’s on hand, to embrace limitations, gives the food at Bouquet a rustic, soulful quality.

519 Main St., Covington, (859) 491-7777, bouquetrestaurant.com. Dinner Tues–Sat. MCC, DS. $$

CHÉ

This Walnut Street spot draws on authentic Argentine recipes, including the empanadas. Choose from more than a dozen different crispy, perfectly cinched dough pockets, with fillings ranging from traditional (a mixture of cuminspiced beef, hard-boiled egg, and olives) to experimental (mushrooms, feta, green onion, and mozzarella). There are also six different dipping sauces to choose from, but you need not stray from the house chimichurri.

1342 Walnut St., Over-the-Rhine, (513) 345-8838, checincinnati.com. Lunch Tues–Sun, dinner seven days, brunch Sat & Sun. V, MCC, DC, AMEX. $$

CROWN REPUBLIC GASTROPUB

What makes Crown Republic special isn’t its handful of outstanding dishes. It’s the place’s sheer consistency. No single dish is absolutely mind-blowing or completely original, but when almost everything that comes out is genuinely tasty, the service is always friendly and attentive, and (stop the presses!) the bill is quite a bit less than you expected, you sit up and pay attention. The crab and avocado toast, served on toasted bread with lime juice and slivers of pickled Fresno

chiles, is a prime example of what makes Crown Republic tick. The cocktails are equally unfussy and good, like the Tequila Honey Bee, made with tequila reposado, honey thyme syrup, lemon, bitters, and mezcal rinse, which adds a smoky kick.

720 Sycamore St., downtown, (513) 246-4272, crgcincy.com. Brunch, lunch and dinner Wed–Sun. V, MC, DS, AMEX. $$

THE GOVERNOR

This Milford restaurant playfully elevates diner classics. Breakfast is available all day so if you’re looking to greet the morning with decadence, try the ricotta toast, a thick slab of brioche toast smothered in ricotta and fresh, seasonal jams. Sandwiches also get an inventive twist here. The “Governor Tso’s chicken”—a crispy fried chicken breast glazed with a General Tso’s–inspired sauce, topped with apricot slaw and served on a toasted brioche bun—is a gigantic, happy mess of a sandwich, but the sweet glaze faintly evokes the namesake “General” while letting the sublimely fried chicken lead the charge. Order a side of crinkle cut fries and ask for the housemade Maple Thousand Island dipping sauce. (You’ll thank us later.)

231 Main St., Milford, (513) 239-8298, governordiner. com. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner seven days. Brunch and lunch Sun. MCC. $

THE LITTLEFIELD

Inside a modest 1,500 square-foot space on Spring Grove, just south of Hamilton Avenue, at least 70-odd bourbons behind the bar drive this little restaurant’s philosophy. The menu is meant to be limited, the better to support and celebrate the bottled flavors up front. There are surprises: a faint hint of curry powder deepens the moody cauliflower fritters; skewered golf-balls of mild, peppery ground lamb get a faint crust from the final sear. You’ll also want to order the smoked pork katsu. Panko crusted cutlets of pork, topped with tonkatsu sauce, served with sesame ginger slaw and kewpie mayo. The signature chicken and corn chowder

is exactly what you need on a cold winter’s day.

3934 Spring Grove Ave., Northside, (513) 386-7570, littlefieldns.com. Lunch Mon–Fri, dinner Sat & Sun. V, MC. $

MAPLEWOOD KITCHEN

At Maplewood, you order at the counter, then find a table, and a server will deliver what you’ve selected. There’s no cohesive cuisine, rather, the menu takes its cue from all corners of the globe: chicken tinga, spaghetti pomodoro, a New York Strip steak, guajillo chicken are all represented, along with a satisfying pappardelle with house-made sausage. Brunch is available all day so try the light lemon ricotta pancakes or the satisfying avocado benedict.

525 Race St., downtown, (513) 421-2100, maplewoodkitchenandbar.com. Breakfast and lunch seven days. MCC. $$

MASHROOTS

After serving mofongo at Findlay Market for nearly four years, Mashroots opened its first brick-and-mortar spot in College Hill this year. For the uninitiated, mofongo is a traditional Puerto Rican dish of mashed fried plantains with garlic and olive oil, typically served with protein and sauce. Here, you can get plantain, yuca, or sweet potato as your root and a protein, like skirt steak or pulled chicken. Top it off with veggies (pinkslaw, vinagrete, citruscarrot) and a sauce (pink mayo, anyone?), and wash it all down with refreshing cocktails made with rum and harder-to-find spirits. 5903 Hamilton Ave., College Hill, (513) 620-4126, mashroots.com. Lunch and dinner Tues–Sat, Lunch and dinner Sun. MCC. $

MELT REVIVAL

In this Northside sandwich joint, the restaurant’s name pretty much dictates what you should get. Diners have their choice of sandwiches, including the vegetarian cheesesteak—seitan (a meat substitute) topped with roasted onions, peppers, and provolone—and the J.L.R. Burger, a

black bean or veggie patty served with cheese, tomato, lettuce and housemade vegan mayo. For those who require meat in their meals, try the verde chicken melt: juicy pieces of chicken intermingle with pesto, zucchini, and provolone. Not sure you’ll want a whole sandwich? Try one of the halvesies, a half-salad, half-soup selection popular with the lunch crowd.

4100 Hamilton Ave., Northside, (513) 818-8951, meltrevival.com. Lunch and dinner Tues–Fri, breakfast, lunch, and dinner Sat, brunch Sun. MCC, DS. $

METROPOLE

Metropole has been remarkably stable since it opened in 2012. Even when chefs have left, the organization has promoted from within, kept pop-ular dishes on the menu, and maintained a certain vibe, a balance between sophistication and rustic-ity. Its vegetarian fare contains many of its most inventive and delightful creations. The seared salmon is served with beluga lentils, green tomato, cucumber, brown butter, and smoked onion. The blistered shishitos, served with refreshing watermelon, goat cheese, yuzu, and spiced almonds, encapsulates Metropole at its best: fun and whimsical, but rooted in careful execution of deep and satisfying flavors.

609 Walnut St., downtown, (513) 578-6660, metropoleonwalnut.com. Dinner seven days. V, DS, MC, AMEX. $$

Top10 MITA’S

It’s fitting that chef Jose Salazar named this restaurant after his grandmother, because there is something deeply homey about the food at Mita’s. With a focus on Spanish and Latin-American tapas, it always feels, in the best possible way, like elevated home cooking. Its sophistication is modestly concealed. The flavors are bold and direct, whether the spicy freshness of the ceviche de camarones with passionfruit leche de tigreor the intensely bright sourness of the pozole verde. In dishes like the alcochofas y hongos, the chef hits every register: the acid of red espelette peppers to balance the earthy ramp-garlic

hummus, the crunchy pistachios against the soft sautéed mushrooms and artichoke hearts. But what mainly comes through is the warm-hearted affection a grandmother might have put into a meal for a beloved grandson. It’s the kind of big hug everyone needs from time to time.

501 Race St., downtown, (513) 421-6482, mitas.co.

Dinner Mon–Sat. MCC. $$$

NICHOLSON’S

To remind local diners that they were here before those young dog-toting punks with their exposed brick and crafty ales in Over-the-Rhine, Nicholson’s branded themselves Cincinnati’s “first and finest gastropub,” and revamped the menu to include plenty of snacks and small plates for grazing, and notquite-brawny, straightforward sandwiches and main dishes. Try the Faroe Island salmon, bowl of cock-a-leekie soup, or check out the shepherd’s or Scottish BBQ style burgers or the turkey reuben with Russian dressing. And the bar’s clubby intimacy makes it easy to belly up and enjoy their impressive collection of single malts or a Scottish ale.

625 Walnut St., downtown, (513) 564-9111, nicholsonspub.com. Lunch and dinner seven days. MCC. $$

NOLIA

Chef/Owner Jeffery Harris, a New Orleans native, prepares the cuisine of his beloved city with sophistication and flair, drawing on all the infl uences that have contributed to the cuisine of the Big Easy—from West African to French to Japanese to Haitian. The menu changes seasonally, with almost a complete overhaul each time. If classic New Orleans dishes do show up on the menu, they’re likely to get delightfully unexpected touches. Take the duck and oyster gumbo. Harris deconstructs the typical stew, building on a base of popcorn rice, instead of the more typical long grain, and a decadent duck fat roux. It’s exquisitely prepared food served in a funky, laid-back atmosphere.

1405 Clay St., Over-the-Rhine, (513) 384-3597, noliakitchen.com. Dinner Tues–Sat. MCC. $$

OKTO

This lively mash-up is a telling symbol of Earth+Ocean Restaurant Group’s flexible approach to traditional food. In what other Greek restaurant would the best cocktail be a smoky, chile-laced paloma, normally associated with Mexico? Or would the dish of lamb chops come dressed with gremolata, which we’ve never seen on anything but Italian food? E+O has always prided itself on its eclectic take on regional cuisine and they serve up something similarly fun and varied here. Those looking for classic Greek food will fi nd plenty to satisfy them. The lamb kebabs, served ground, with the classic roasted tomato on the side; or the Via bowls, featuring tomatoes, olives, cucumbers, feta, red onion, tzatziki, and your choice of protein served atop a bed of couscous. The fun Okto has with Greek cuisine means there is already plenty that is good, plus plenty of room to grow.

645 Walnut St., downtown, (513) 632-9181, oktocincinnati.com. Dinner Tues–Sat. MCC. $$

PAMPAS

Much like American food, Argentine cuisine is a melting pot shaped by immigration, particularly from Italy and Germany, and with plenty of meat on the plate. You see that mix in the menu, but Pampas puts parrillada, the Argentine method of cooking over an open flame, front and center. The chimichurri appears throughout the menu, and does wonders wherever it goes. Spicy, tart, and filled with the flavor of oregano, it wakes up the marinated skirt steak. Magnificent desserts deserve special mention. The dolce de leche crème brule, with its caramelized sugar crust and shaved chocolate, is particularly popular.

2036 Madison Rd., O’Bryonville, (513) 321-0863, pampascincinnati.com. Brunch Sun, dinner Tues–Sun. V, DS, MC, AMEX. $$

THE QUARTER BISTRO

The Quarter Bistro has multiple personalities: one part clubby neighborhood joint, one part dinner and a movie

with a dash of lusty romance. The Bistro Burger, a half-pound of black Angus beef, is seasoned but not overly so, with a sturdy-but-not-too-chewy bun. The 18-hour short ribs are the star, and reason enough to skip the movie next door. Braised into a flavor bomb of meat candy, it’s served with papardelle pasta, roasted vegetables, and onion straws. With the no-lip service, The Quarter Bistro could be well on the way to making middle age look sexy.

6904 Wooster Pke., Mariemont, (513) 271-5400, qbcincy.com. Dinner Tues–Sun. MCC, DS. $$

RUTH’S PARKSIDE CAFÉ

The spiritual successor of Mullane’s Parkside Café, Ruth’s brings back the vegetable-forward menu with a few concessions to contemporary tastes. Dinner options now include steaks and heavier entrées. But the stirfries, beans and rice, pasta, and the traditional option to add a protein to an entrée (tofu, tempeh, chicken, or local chorizo) for an upcharge are all old standards. While dishes are generally hearty, they are rarely too rich, leaving room to freely consider dessert. There is a small selection of baked goods, including a gooey butter cake, homemade fruit pies, and Madisono’s Gelato.

1550 Blue Rock St., Northside, (513) 542-7884, ruthscafe.com. Lunch Mon–Fri, dinner Mon–Sat.

MCC. $$

SACRED BEAST

Sacred Beast advertises itself as a kind of upscale diner, but the real gems are the oddball dishes that don’t quite fit the diner mold. The menu can be disorienting in its eclecticism: foie gras torchon is next to fries with lobster gravy, and a king salmon is next to a diner breakfast and deviled eggs. Winners are scattered throughout the menu in every category. On the cocktail list, the Covington Iced Tea, a lemon and coffee concoction made with cold brew, San Pellegrino, and vodka is oddly satisfying. The service is good, and there is some flair about the place—including vintage touches, from the facsimile reel-to-reel audio system to the mostly classic cocktails—even within its rather chilly industrial design. In short, go for the unique grub; stay for the elegant, shareable twists on classic snacks.

1437 Vine St., Over-the-Rhine, (513) 213-2864, sacredbeastdiner.com. Lunch and dinner Wed–Sun. MCC. $$

SALAZAR

A freewheeling tour through Korean, Moroccan, Italian, and French flavors—and that’s just on one iteration of the ever-evolving menu. Salazar turns out fresh, wellbalanced dishes dotted with seasonal surprises: the cauliflower steak special (a Moroccan spiced, seared wedge of the cruciferous vegetable complemented by a strong hit of lemon), the chicken liver mousse (so good it deserves its own trophy), and the succulent chicken Milanese (with its musky, sweet-and-sour notes of ground cherry). With its bustling bar and cheek-by-jowl tables, Salazar hums with energy at every meal.

1401 Republic St., Over-the-Rhine, (513) 621-7000, salazarcincinnati.com. Dinner Mon–Sat, brunch Sat & Sun. MCC. $$

SENATE

Ever since it began dishing out its lo-fi eats, Chef Dan Wright’s gastropub has been operating at a velocity few can match. From the howl and growl of supremely badass hot dogs to the palate-rattling poutine, Senate has led the charge in changing the local conventional wisdom about what makes a great restaurant. Consumption of mussels charmoula means either ordering additional grilled bread to soak up every drop of the herby, saffron-laced broth or drinking the remainder straight from the bowl and perfectly crisped and seasoned fries inspire countless return visits.

1100 Summit Place Dr., Blue Ash, (513) 769-0099, senateblueash.com. Lunch and dinner Tues–Sun. MC, V, DS. $

THE STANDARD

Owners Paul Weckman and Emily Wolff offer a pared down menu of five to seven rotating small plates, plus seven sandwiches. It’s simple but satisfying, with a

small-town diner vibe. After a complete menu overhaul that shifted the restaurant away from its Pan-Asian street food concept, The Standard focuses on Americana classics, like smoked brisket chopped cheese, smash burgers, smoked wings, and chili.

434 Main St., Covington, (859) 360-0731, facebook. com/thestandardcov. Dinner Tues–Sun. MCC. $

TASTE OF BELGIUM

Jean-François Flechet’s waffle empire grew from a back counter of Madison’s grocery at Findlay Market to multiple full-service sit-down spots. There’s more on the menu than the authentic Belgian treat, though it would be a crime to miss the chicken and waffles: a dense, yeasty waffle topped with a succulent buttermilk fried chicken breast, Frank’s hot sauce, and maple syrup. There are also frites, of course, and Brussels sprouts— served with pancetta and sherry vinaigrette—plus a gem of a Bolognese. And let’s not forget the beer. Five rotating taps offer some of the best the Belgians brew, not to mention those made in town.

1133 Vine St., Over-the-Rhine, (513) 381-4607, and other locations, authenticwaffle.com. Breakfast and lunch Mon–Sat, dinner Tues–Sat, brunch Sun. MCC. $

20 BRIX

This restaurant mixes Mediterranean influences with homespun choices, and he comes up with some marvelous food. Lamb meatballs with melted onions and romesco sauce are sweet and peppery, and their simplicity partners well with a lush Zinfandel. The excellent wine list, arranged by flavor profiles within the varietals, features dozens of varieties by the glass in five-ounce or two-ounce pours, which makes it easy to try several.

101 Main St., Milford, (513) 831-2749, 20brix.com. Lunch and dinner Mon–Sat. MCC, DS, DC. $$

TERANGA

West African cuisine consists of mostly simple, homestyle dishes of stews and grilled lamb with just enough of the exotic to offer a glimpse of another culture. Be prepared for a few stimulating sights and flavors that warm from within. An entire grilled tilapia—head and all—in a peppery citrus marinade and served on plantains with a side of Dijon-coated cooked onions is interesting enough to pique foodie interest without overwhelming the moderate eater. Stews of lamb or chicken with vegetables and rice are a milder bet, and Morrocan-style couscous with vegetables and mustard sauce accompanies most items. The dining room atmosphere is extremely modest with most of the action coming from the constant stream of carryout orders.

8438 Vine St., Hartwell, (513) 821-1300, terangacinci. com. Lunch and dinner seven days. MCC. $

THE VIEW AT SHIRES’ GARDEN

The name of this restaurant demands that one question be answered first: So, how’s that view? Well, it’s impressive. Especially if the weather cooperates and you can get a seat outside. Most dishes are rotated out every six months, but a few remain staples from season to season. Try the pan-roasted chicken, featuring a Freebird Farms skin-on breast. Or go for the Chef’s Feast for Two, a shareable steak with an Argentine shrimp salad and two sides. The cocktail list offers high, low, and zero proof options alongside a well-rounded beer and wine selection.

309 Vine St., 10th Floor, downtown, (513) 407-7501, theviewatshiresgarden.com. Dinner Tues–Sat, brunch Sat & Sun. MCC. $$$

YUCA

Yuca is in The Fairfield’s former space, retaining much of the same modern, airy, and inviting café vibes with a neighborhood feel, but boasting a menu certainly worth a commute. In the mood for a hearty breakfast? Indulge in the Fat Zach, a heaping corn gordita packed to the brim with chicken, chorizo, and scrambled egg, served with avocado, pineapple pico, and sweet and spicy potatoes. There’s a full drink menu ranging from coffee to Bloody Marys—or a selection of margaritas and palomas if you’re looking to stick around.

700 Fairfield Ave., Bellevue, (859) 360-0110, yucabycedar.com. Breakfast and lunch Tues–Sun. MCC. $

FRENCH

CHEZ RENÉE FRENCH BISTROT

Based on American stereotypes of French food—that it’s elaborate, elitist, and expensive—one might expect Chez Renée to fall on the chichi side. Instead, it’s elegant in an everyday way, operating on the principle that it is better to excel at simplicity than to badly execute something complicated. The formula is not complex: Simple ingredients, generally fresh and from nearby, prepared without much fuss. Warmed brie is served with thyme, almonds, fruit, and bread, and the chicken risotto is served with creamy mushrooms. This is solid, tasty food, both approachable and well executed. It’s well on its way to becoming, as a good bistrot should be, a neighborhood institution. 233 Main St., Milford, (513) 428-0454, chezreneefrenchbistrot.com. Friday–Sat and dinner Wed–Sat. MCC. $$

FRENCH CRUST

Located in the old Globe Furniture building at the corner of Elm and Elder Streets, this Jean-Robert de Cavel creation off ers French fare in the heart of Over-the-Rhine. Swing by for lunch and have a quiche Lorraine (French

Crust’s quiches are unrivaled in our humble opinion) and an avocado and shrimp salad, or opt for a more hearty entree—like bouillabaisse or cassoulet—for dinner. If you’re an early bird, a Croque Monsieur (sunny side up egg) is a great way to start the day.

1801 Elm St., Over-the-Rhine, (513) 455-3720, frenchcrustcafe.com. Breakfast and lunch Wed–Sun, dinner Thurs–Sun. MCC. $$

Top10 LE BAR A BOEUF

If it’s been a couple of years since you’ve been to Le Bar a Boeuf—JeanRobert de Cavel’s fun-yet-refined French bistro located on the first fl oor of the Edgecliff Private Residences in East Walnut Hills—it may be time for a revisit. The formerly burger-centric menu now approaches the full repertoire of bistro classics. The menu reads like a greatest hits list of bistro fare, with escargot, beef tartare, duck leg confi t, steak frites, and French onion soup all making appearances. As France’s infl uence on American fi ne dining has waned, it’s refreshing to see a restaurant committed to not only preserving the French classics but reinvigorating them.

2200 Victory Pkwy., East Walnut Hills, (513) 751-2333, barboeuf.com. Dinner Tues–Sat. MCC. $$

INDIAN

AMMA’S KITCHEN

Muthu “Kumar” Muthiah serves traditional southern Indian and Indo-Chinese vegetarian

cuisine, but with a sizable Orthodox Jewish community nearby, Muthia saw an opportunity: If he was going to cook vegetarian, why not also make it kosher? Muthiah prepares every item— from the addictively crunchy gobhi Manchurian, a spicy Chinese cauliflower dish, to the lemon pickle, tamarind, and mint sauces—entirely from scratch under the careful eye of Rabbi Michoel Stern. Always 80 percent vegan, the daily lunch buffet is 100 percent animal-product-free on Wednesdays. Tuck into a warm and savory channa masala (spiced chickpeas) or malai kofta (vegetable dumplings in tomato sauce) from the curry menu. Or tear into a crispy, two-foot diameter dosa (chickpea flour crepe) stuffed with spiced onions and potatoes.

7633 Reading Rd., Roselawn, (513) 8212021, ammaskitchen.com. Lunch buff et seven days (all-vegan on Wed), dinner seven days. MC, V, DS. $

BRIJ MOHAN

Order at the counter the way you might at a fast food joint, except the shakes come in mango and there’s no super-sizing your mint lassi. The saag, full of cream in most northern Indian restaurants, is as intensely fl avored as collard greens in the Deep South—real Punjabi soul food. Tarka dal is spectacular here, the black lentils smoky from charred tomatoes and onions, and the pani puri, hollow fried shells into which you spoon a peppery cold broth, burst with tart cool crunch. Follow the spice with soothing ras malai, freshly made cheese simmered in thick almond-flavored milk, cooled and sprinkled with crushed pistachios.

11259 Reading Rd., Sharonville, (513) 7694549, brijmohancincinnati.com. Lunch and dinner Tues–Sun. MC, V, DC, AMEX. $

AW, SHUCKS

Tom Stephen and Garth Lieb, the owners of The Pony and Liberty’s Bar & Bottle in Over-theRhine, recently signed a contract with Cincinnati Center City Development Corporation (3CDC) to open an eatery in the defunct PearlStar space on Vine Street. The new restaurant— which didn’t have a name at press time—will focus on “all things oysters” and the menu will include small plates and shareable dishes.

A TAVOLA

In 2011, Jared Wayne opened A Tavola Pizza with two friends just as OTR was blowing up. A Ferrara pizza oven was ordered from Italy; Wayne, a skilled woodworker, built custom tables; and the menu was fleshed in with trendy crowdpleasers like charcuterie and craft cocktails. Fast-forward a decade. The OTR outpost is closed but the second location is still going strong in the ’burbs: A Tavola Madeira capitalizes on the menu from the Vine Street location, including the fresh and zesty artichoke pizza on a Neapolitan crust; gooey mozzarella-filled arancini, or risotto fritters; and the zucchini mozzarella. Wash down your small plates with a glass of crisp and grassy Sannio falanghina or an ice-cold Peroni lager. They’re definitely going to need a bigger parking lot.

7022 Miami Ave., Madeira, (513) 272-0192, atavolapizza.com. Lunch and dinner seven days. V, DC, MS, AMEX. $

ADRIATICO’S

Everything about this place says it’s about the pizza: the herbed sauce, the assault of the cheese, the toppings. It’s all evenly distributed, so you get a taste in every bite. Adriatico’s still delivers the tastiest pizza in Clifton. On any given night the aroma wafts through every dorm on campus. It’s that popular because it’s that good. Being inexpensive doesn’t hurt either.

113 W. McMillan St., Clifton Heights, (513) 281-4344, adriaticosuc.com. Lunch and dinner seven days. MCC. $

FORNO

Cristian Pietoso’s second restaurant has all the bones of an upscale eatery, but the menu is infused with enough Italian soul to make nonna proud. In most instances, raving about a side of creamed corn wouldn’t bode well for the rest of

the menu. Here, that side dish—kernels swimming in a pool of truffle-laced heavy cream that demands sopping up—is evidence that each component is purpose-driven. The red wine–braised honeycomb tripe, which carries a warning label (“Don’t be scared!”), and the pappardelle with spiced cinghiale (wild boar) ragu are examples of the elevated, adventurous comfort food that Pietoso strives for.

3514 Erie Ave., East Hyde Park, (513) 818-8720, fornoosteriabar.com. Dinner Tues–Sun, brunch Sun. MCC. $$

Top 10 NICOLA’S

Chef/Restaurateur Cristian Pietoso carries on the legacy of his father, Nicola, as the elder Pietoso’s Over-the-Rhine eatery celebrates 25 years in business. Nicola’s has entered a new era of exuberant creativity under the leadership of chef Jack Hemmer. You can still get the old Italian classics, and they’ll be as good as ever, but the rest of the menu has blossomed into a freewheeling tour of modern American cuisine. Any establishment paying this level of attention to detail—from the candied slice of blood orange on the mascarpone cheesecake to the staff’s wine knowledge—is going to put out special meals. Rarely have humble insalate been so intricately delicious, between the perfectly nested ribbons of beets in the pickled beet salad or the balance of bitterness, funkiness, and creaminess in the endive and Gorgonzola salad. Order an old favorite, by all means, but make sure you try something new, too.

1420 Sycamore St., Pendleton, (513) 721-6200, nicolasotr.com. Dinner Mon–Sat. MCC, DC, DS. $$$

PADRINO

Billed as “Italian comfort food,” this sister restaurant to 20 Brix offers the classics (like lasagna and chicken carbonara) plus hoagies and meatball sliders, an impressive wine list, seasonal martinis, and a decadent signature appetizer—garlic rolls, doughy buns smothered in olive oil and garlic. Best of all, Barraco’s pizza sauce, which is comprised of roasted

tomatoes and basil, is so garden-fresh that one can’t help but wonder: If this is real pizza, what have we been eating all these years?

111 Main St., Milford, (513) 965-0100, padrinoitalian. com. Lunch and dinner seven days. MCC, DS. $$

PEPP & DOLORES

As with all of Thunderdome’s restaurants, you get a sense that they want to deliver a meal that satisfies many different kinds of people. The prices are reasonable, with pasta entrées about $15. The dishes are familiar in their flavors, but everything feels balanced and modulated and gradually perfected. There is lovely variety: the limone pasta is zippy with lemon and chili flakes, and just the right mixture of tart and creamy; the deep meaty flavors on the mushroom toast are balanced with a nice acidity; and the heat in dishes like the eggplant involtini is just enough to wake up the sauce without overwhelming the flavor. The menu has a wealth of excellent vegetarian and pasta-alternative options. 1501 Vine St., Over-the-Rhine, (513) 419-1820, peppanddolores.com. Lunch Fri–Sun, dinner Mon–Thurs. MCC. $$

PRIMAVISTA

Besides offering the old world flavors of Italy, Primavista also serves up a specialty no other restaurant can match: a bird’s eye view of Cincinnati from the west side. The kitchen is equally comfortable with northern and southern regional specialties: a Venetian carpaccio of paper thin raw beef sparked by fruity olive oil; house-made fresh mozzarella stuffed with pesto and mushrooms; or artichoke hearts with snails and mushrooms in a creamy Gorgonzola sauce from Lombardy. Among the classics, nothing is more restorative than the pasta e fagioli, a hearty soup of cannellini, ditali pasta, and bacon. Most of the pastas are cooked just a degree more mellow than al dente so that they soak up the fragrant tomato basil or satiny cream sauces. The forktender osso buco Milanese, with its marrow-filled center bone and salty-sweet brown sauce (marinara and lemon

juice), is simply superb. Desserts present further problems; you’ll be hard-pressed to decide between the house-made tiramisu or bread pudding with caramel sauce, marsala soaked raisins, and cream.

810 Matson Pl., Price Hill, (513) 251-6467, pvista.com. Dinner Wed–Sun. MCC, DC, DS. $$

Top 10 SOTTO There are certain books and movies that you can read or watch over and over. Eating at Sotto is a similar experience: familiar, but so profound and satisfying that there is no reason to ever stop. Unlike other restaurants, where the techniques are often elaborate and unfamiliar, the magic at Sotto happens right in front of you, using ordinary elements and methods. When you taste the results, though, you realize that some mysterious transmutation has taken place. Penne with rapini and sausage comes in a buttery, lightly starchy broth with a kick of spice that you could go on eating forever. From the texture of the chicken liver mousse to the tart cherry sauce on the panna cotta, most of the food has some added element of soulfulness.

118 E. Sixth St., downtown, (513) 977-6886, sottocincinnati.com. Dinner seven days. V, MC, DS, AMEX. $$

SUBITO

Focusing on Northern Italian cuisine, Subito carves out its own worthwhile place in the landscape. Most of the items on the menu—from pizza to various pastas—will be familiar, but there are delightful surprises, like the vegan torta di ceci. At the base of the dish is a light, flaky farinata—a griddled pancake made out of chickpea flour. Topped with pickled red onion, and covered with nectarine and toasted almonds, the whole dish is rounded out with a touch of tangy sweetness from a blackberry balsamic vinaigrette. Everything at Subito is done with intelligence and a light touch.

311 Pike St., downtown, (513) 621-4500, thelytleparkhotel.com/dining/subito. Breakfast and lunch Mon–Fri, dinner Mon–Sat, brunch Sat & Sun. MCC. $$

VIA VITE

Via Vite serves up crowd-pleasing entrées, including the Pietoso family Bolognese, over penne, right on Fountain Square. (Add in a golf-ball-sized veal meatball heavy with lemon zest, and it’s an over-the-top comforting main dish.) The same applies to the risotto, where a few small touches add sophistication. Carnaroli rice results in a glossier, starchier dish. A puree of asparagus turns the risotto an eye-popping green, and the poached lobster garnish creates a nice back-and-forth between vegetal and briny flavors. Braised lamb shank over polenta is comforting workhorse, and the flavorful Faroe Island salmon with roasted carrot puree, caramelized Brussel sprouts and truffled brown butter balsamic vinaigrette.

520 Vine St., downtown, (513) 721-8483, viaviterestaurant.com. Dinner Mon–Sat. MCC, DS. $$

JAPANESE

wannabes. The only thing you won’t find here is sake, or any other alcohol. Bring your own, or stick to the nutty and outright addicting barley tea.

5889 Pfeiffer Rd., Blue Ash, (513) 954-0041, andojapaneserestaurant.com. Dinner Tues–Sat. MCC. $$$

Top 10 KIKI Kiki started as a pop-up at Northside Yacht Club, then leapt into brick-and-mortar life in College Hill. Your best bet here is to share plates, or simply order too much, starting with the shishito buono, a piled-high plate of roasted shishito peppers tossed in shaved parmesan and bagna cauda, a warm, rich blend of garlic and anchovies. Add the karaage fried chicken, with the Jordy mayo and the pepe meshi, confit chicken on spaghetti and rice that somehow works. And, yes, the ramen, too. The shio features pork belly and tea-marinated soft-boiled egg, but the kimchi subs in tofu and its namesake cabbage for the meat.

5932 Hamilton Ave., College Hill, (513) 541-0381, kikicincinnati.com. Lunch Sun and dinner Wed–Sat. MCC. $

KYOTO

Owner Jason Shi seems to know everybody’s name as he chats up diners, guiding them through the extensive sushi and sashimi menu. Five young sushi chefs, all part of Shi’s family, work at light speed behind the bar, a choreography backlit by rows of gleaming liquor bottles. Dinner proceeds with glorious chaos as a feisty Carla Tortelli–like server delivers one dish after another—slivers of giant clam on ice in a super-sized martini glass, a volcanic tower of chopped fatty tuna hidden inside overlapping layers of thin avocado slices, smoky grilled New Zealand mussels drizzled with spicy mayo, and delicate slices of a samurai roll—all between shots of chilled sake.

12082 Montgomery Rd., Symmes Twp., (513) 5838897, kyotosushibar.com. Lunch and dinner seven days. MCC. $$

MEI

Mei’s menu is meant to represent traditional Japanese cuisine, appealing to the novice as well as the sushi maven. It is divided into sections that encourage a progressive meal of small dishes: One each for hot and cold appetizers, noodles, sushi and sashimi, special rolls, soups and salads, sushi dinners (with miso soup), and combinations (such as tempura paired with sashimi). Deep-fried soft shell crab comes with ponzu sauce—a dipping sauce made of rice vinegar, soy sauce, mirin, and citrus juice—and the kind of yakitori that you can find on the streets of New York. Bento boxes—lacquered wooden boxes divided into compartments—offer the neophyte a sampling of several small dishes. Mei’s are lovely: deep red and stocked with tempura, cooked salmon, sashimi, stewed vegetables, and a fabulous egg custard with shrimp and gingko nut. Mei’s sushi—nigiri, maki, and handrolls—is exceptionally good with quality cuts of fresh seafood. The staff is knowledgeable, extremely efficient, respectful, and attentive, even when it’s at peak capacity.

8608 Market Place Lane, Montgomery, (513) 8916880, meijapaneserestaurant.com. Lunch Sat & Sun, dinner Tues–Sun. MCC, DS. $$

ZUNDO RAMEN & DONBURI

KOREAN

HARU

After the closing of Sung Korean Bistro, Haru is a welcome addition to the downtown scene. Dishes are served along with the usual Korean accompaniment of pickles, kimchi, fish cakes, and other mysteriously delicious dainties. A favorite is the japchae, a traditional dish sporting silky sweet potato noodles with sesame-and-garlic sauce, matchsticks of assorted crisp vegetables, and behind it all a wonderful smokiness that pervades the whole meal. The accompanying pot of gochujang, a fermented Korean chili paste, adds its own sweet and spicy note. The result is a homey, soulful, and satisfying taste that appeals even to those who’ve never eaten a bite of Korean food before.

628 Vine St., downtown, (513) 381-0947, harucincy.com. Lunch and dinner Mon–Sat. MCC. $$

RIVERSIDE KOREAN RESTAURANT

Come for the jo gi mae un tang—a bowl of sizzling, happy hellbroth pungent with red pepper, garlic, and ginger, crowded with nuggets of fish, tofu, and vegetables. Come for the restorative power of sam gae tang, a chicken soup for the Seoul—a whole Cornish hen submerged in its own juices and plumped with sticky rice and ginseng, dried red dates, and pine nuts. Revered for their medicinal properties, both dinner-sized soups will leave your eyes glistening and your brow beaded with sweat. They’re a detox for your overindulgence, rejuvenation for when you’re feeling under the weather. Expect crowds on weekends. Expect too, that dozens of them have come for dolsot bibimbap, the hot stone pots filled with layers of rice, vegetables, meat or tofu, egg, and chili paste. Characterized by its electric color and addictive flavors, Riverside Korean’s version is a captivating bowl of heaven.

512 Madison Ave., Covington, (859) 291-1484, riversidekoreanrestaurant.com. Lunch Tues–Fri, dinner Tues–Sun. MCC, DS. $$

MEDITERRANEAN

ANDY’S MEDITERRANEAN GRILLE

In this lively joint with a burnished summer lodge interior of wood and stone, even the food is unrestrained: rough-cut chunks of charbroiled beef tenderloin, big slices of onion and green pepper turned sweet and wet in the heat, skewers of marinated and charbroiled chicken perched on rice too generous for its plate. Co-owner Andy Hajjar mans his station at the end of the bar, smoking a hookah pipe that fills the air with the sweet smell of flavored tobacco, while the friendly but hurried staff hustles through. 906 Nassau St., Walnut Hills, (513) 281-9791, andyskabob.com. Lunch Mon–Sat, dinner seven days. MCC. $$

CAFÉ MEDITERRANEAN

ANDO

You don’t go just anywhere to dine on uni sashimi (sea urchin) or tanshio (thinly sliced charcoal-grilled beef tongue). Don’t miss the rich and meaty chyu toro (fatty big-eye tuna), or the pucker-inducing umeshiso maki (pickled plum paste and shiso leaf roll). Noodles are also well represented, with udon, soba, or ramen options available. And don’t forget to ask about the specials; owners Ken and Keiko Ando always have something new, be it grilled koji or marinated amberjack smoked salmon crudo, delicacies that you’ll be hard-pressed to find in any of those Hyde Park pan-Asian

A stark contrast to Styrofoam cup soup, chef Han Lin’s ramens are a deep and exciting branch of cuisine, capable of subtlety, variation, and depth. The simplicity of the dish’s name hides a world of complexity. Zundo uses the traditional Japanese building blocks of flavor—soy sauce, miso, sake, mirin—to create something freewheeling and time-tested. Bowls of ramen come with a marinated softboiled egg half, roast pork, green onion, and a healthy serving of noodles. Each has a distinct identity, like the milky richness of the tonkotsu, the rich and buttery miso, or the light and faintly sweet shoyu ramen. A transformative add-in is the mayu, or black garlic oil. Dripped on top of one of the subtler broths, it adds a deep, mushroomy richness, with the hint of burned flavor that makes barbecue so good.

220 W. 12th St., Over-the-Rhine, (513) 975-0706, zundootr.com. Lunch and dinner Tues–Sun. MCC. $$

Chef-driven Middle Eastern cuisine leans heavily on Turkish tradition here. The baba ghanoush uses seared eggplant, which adds a pleasant smokiness to the final product. Börek is described as a “Turkish Egg Roll,” wrapping feta and fresh and dried herbs into phyllo dough, and frying it lightly to brittle flakiness. The pastry arrives atop a vivid cherry tomato marmalade, which adds a welcome dimension of barely sweet fruitiness. While there is a smooth, simple hummus on the menu, you should go for the classic sucuklu hummus, which is spiked with sujuk, a common beef sausage popular all over the Middle East. 3520 Erie Ave., East Hyde Park, (513) 871-8714, mediterranean-cafe.com. Lunch Mon–Sat, dinner seven days. MCC. $$

Top 10

PHOENICIAN TAVERNA

No matter how much restraint you go in with, meals at Phoenician Taverna quickly become feasts. There is just too much that’s good, and everything is meant to be

shared. With fresh pita bread continuously arriving from the ovens, and a table of quickly multiplying meze (hummus, falafel, muhammara), there is a warmth and depth to the cooking that envelops you. With such traditional cuisine, you may think there isn’t much left to discover beyond simply executed classics prepared according to time-tested methods. But there are always new discoveries as the flavors mingle from plate to plate: the tabbouleh with the hummus, mixed with a touch of harissa, or the smoky baba ghanoush spooned onto falafel. Phoenician Taverna keeps taking these classics a little further.

7944 Mason Montgomery Rd., Mason, (513) 770-0027, phoeniciantaverna.com. Lunch Tues–Fri, dinner Tues–Sun. MCC. $$

SANTORINI

Steak, eggs, and home fries. Jumbo haddock sandwich with Greek fries. Chocolate chip hot cakes with bacon. Notice something wrong with this menu? Chicken Philly cheese steak sandwich with Olympic onion rings. Yep, it’s obvious: What’s wrong with this menu is that there’s nothing wrong with this menu. Greek feta cheese omelette with a side of ham. It’s been owned by the same family for more than 30 years. Santorini has diner standards, like cheeseburgers, chili five ways, and breakfast anytime, but they also make some Greek pastries in house, like spanakopita and baklava.

3414 Harrison Ave., Cheviot, (513) 662-8080. Breakfast, lunch, and dinner Mon–Sat, breakfast and lunch Sun. Cash. $

SEBASTIAN’S

When the wind is just right, you can smell the meat roasting from a mile away. Watch owner Alex Vassiliou tend to the rotating wheels of beef and lamb, and you understand how Greek food has escaped the American tendency to appropriate foreign cuisines. Sebastian’s specializes in gyros, shaved off the stick, wrapped in thick griddle pita with onions and tomatoes, and served with cool tzatziki sauce. Alex’s wife and daughter run the counter with efficient speed, and whether you’re having a crisp Greek salad with house-made dressing, triangles of spanikopita, or simply the best walnut and honey baklava this side of the Atlantic (often made by the Mrs.), they never miss a beat, turning more covers in their tiny restaurant on one Saturday afternoon than some restaurants do in an entire weekend.

5209 Glenway Ave., Price Hill, (513) 471-2100, sebastiansgyros.com. Lunch and dinner Mon–Sat. Cash. $

SULTAN’S MEDITERRANEAN CUISINE

The meze, a parade of small plates and appetizers—the refreshing yogurt dish with cucumber, mint, and garlic known as cacik, and its thicker cousin haydari, with chopped walnuts, dill, and garlic—is rounded out with flaky cheese or spinach boureks, falafels, soups, salads, and more, while baked casseroles or stuffed cabbage and eggplant dishes (dubbed “Ottoman specials”) augment the heavy focus on kebabs: chunks of lamb and beef on a vertical spit for the popular Doner kebab (a.k.a. Turkish gyro), peppery ground lamb for the Adana kebab, or cubed and marinated for the Shish kebab.

7305 Tyler’s Corner Dr., West Chester, (513) 847-1535, sultanscincinnati.com. Lunch and dinner seven days. MCC, DS. $$

MEXICAN

EL VALLE VERDE

Guests with dietary issues, high anxiety, and no Spanish may take a pass, but for hardy souls, this taqueria delivers a memorable evening. Seafood dishes are the star here— ceviche tostadas, crisp corn tortillas piled high with pico de gallo, avocado, and lime-tastic bits of white fish, squid, and crab; the oversized goblet of cocktel campechano, with ample poached shrimp crammed into a Clamato-heavy gazpacho; and simmering sopa de marisco came with lan-

goustines, mussels, crab legs, and an entire fish—enough to feed three.

6717 Vine St., Carthage, (513) 821-5400, valle-verde3.com. Lunch and dinner seven days. $

HABAÑERO

It’s easy to find a cheap burrito place around a college campus, but you’d be hard-pressed to find one as consistently good as Habañero, with its flavors of Latin America and the Caribbean wrapped up in enormous packages. Fried tilapia, apricot-glazed chicken breast, hand-rubbed spiced flank steak, shredded pork tenderloin, or cinnamon-roasted squash are just some of the ingredients for Habañero’s signature burritos. All salsas are house-made, from the smoky tomato chipotle to the sweet-sounding mango jalapeño, which is hot enough to spark spontaneous combustion.

358 Ludlow Ave., Clifton, (513) 961-6800, habanerolatin.com. Lunch and dinner seven days. MCC, DC, DS. $

MAZUNTE

Mazunte runs a culinary full court press, switching up specials to keep both regulars and staff engaged. Pork tamales arrive swaddled in a banana leaf, the shredded pork filling steeped in a sauce fiery with guajillo and ancho chilies yet foiled by the calming sweetness of raisins. The fried fish tacos are finished with a citrusy red and white cabbage slaw that complements the accompanying mango-habañero salsa. With this level of authentic yet fast-paced execution, a slightly greasy pozole can be easily forgiven. Don’t miss the Mexican Coke, the margaritas, or the non-alcoholic horchata.

5207 Madison Rd., Madisonville, (513) 785-0000, mazuntetacos.com. Lunch and dinner Mon–Sat, brunch Sun. MCC. $

MESA LOCA

Sitting on a corner of Hyde Park Square, it’s easy to see that Mesa Loca has an absolute dream of a location. The pandemic forced a few changes to the seafood-centric menu, but those dishes still on the menu indicate what Mesa Loca could be. The tuna ceviche is nicely balanced: tart, with a little spicy creaminess, and a good crispy tostada. The Baja snapper goes well with a bright pile of grated radish and the mango habañero salsa, one of the highlights of the meal. With minced chunks of mango and a hint of fruity habañero heat, it is a prime example of how you can elevate Mexican food and make it worthy of a higher-thanordinary price. One of Mesa Loca’s appealing qualities is its dramatic flair: The yucca fries come stacked on the plate like a late-stages game of Jenga, and their sour-and-spicy rub is quite delicious and striking against the bright starchy white of the fries.

2645 Erie Ave., Hyde Park, (513) 321-6372, mesalocahydepark.com. Lunch and dinner seven days. MCC. $$

MONTOYA’S

Mexican places seem to change hands in this town so often that you can’t get the same meal twice. Montoya’s is the exception. They’ve been hidden in a tiny strip mall off the main drag in Ft. Mitchell for years. It’s unpretentious and seemingly not interested in success, which means success has never gone to their head here. At a place where you can get Huracan Fajitas with steak, chicken, and chorizo or Tilapia Asada, the tacos are still a big item.

2507 Chelsea Dr., Ft. Mitchell, (859) 341-0707. Lunch and dinner Tues–Sat. MC, V, DS. $

NADA

The brains behind Boca deliver authentic, contemporary, high-quality Mexican fare downtown. You’ll find a concise menu, including tacos, salads and sides, large plates, and desserts. The Pork Al Pastor tacos, zesty with salsa verde and sweet with grilled pineapple, are definite crowdpleasers. If you’re biased against brussels sprouts, Nada just might convert you. Their crispy brussels, served with chipotle honey and candied ancho pepitas, are a deliciously intriguing starter.

600 Walnut St., downtown, (513) 721-6232, eatdrinknada.com. Lunch Mon–Fri, dinner seven days, brunch Sat & Sun. MCC, DS. $$

TAQUERIA CRUZ

The menu at this four-table mom-and-pop welcomes you to “a little piece of Mexico.” The huaraches (spelled guarachis

here), are flat troughs of thick, handmade fried masa dough the approximate shape and size of a shoeprint, mounded with beans and slivers of grilled beef or chili-red nubs of sausage, shredded lettuce, a crumble of queso fresco, and drizzle of cultured cream. Should you have an adventurous side, you can have your huarache topped with slippery tongue, goat meat, shredded chicken, or pork. There are stews, carne asada plates, and sopes—saucers of fried masa much like huaraches, only smaller.

518 Pike St., Covington, (859) 431-3859. Lunch and dinner seven days. Cash. $

TAQUERIA MERCADO

On a Saturday night, Taqueria Mercado is a lively fiesta, with seemingly half of the local Hispanic community guzzling margaritas and cervezas, or carrying out sacks of burritos and carnitas tacos—pork tenderized by a long simmer, its edges frizzled and crispy. The Mercado’s strip mall interior, splashed with a large, colorful mural, is equally energetic: the bustling semi-open kitchen; a busy counter that handles a constant stream of take-out orders; a clamorous, convivial chatter in Spanish and English. Try camarones a la plancha, 12 chubby grilled shrimp tangled with grilled onions (be sure to specify if you like your onions well done). The starchiness of the rice absorbs the caramelized onion juice, offset by the crunch of lettuce, buttery slices of avocado, and the coolhot pico de gallo. A shrimp quesadilla paired with one of their cheap and potent margaritas is worth the drive alone.

6507 Dixie Hwy., Fairfield, (513) 942-4943; 100 E. Eighth St., downtown, (513) 381-0678, tmercadocincy. com. Lunch and dinner seven days. MCC, DS. $

SEAFOOD

MCCORMICK & SCHMICK’S

The daily rotation here reads like a fisherman’s wish list: fresh lobsters from the coast of Maine, ahi tuna from Hawaii, clams from New England. But high-quality ingredients are only half the equation; preparation is the other. Herb-broth sea bass, served with roasted fingerling potatoes, makes the taste buds dance. The spacious digs and attentive waitstaff bring a touch of class to Fountain Square, and make it a sophisticated destination. It’s likely to remain a favorite. After all, it’s right in the middle of things.

21 E. Fifth St., downtown, (513) 721-9339, mccormickandschmicks.com. Lunch and dinner seven days. MCC, DC, DS. $$

ROSEWOOD SUSHI, THAI & SEAFOOD

Chanaka De Lanerolle sold Mt. Adams Fish House back in 2011, and Rosewood Sushi, Thai & Seafood is its reincarnation—and reinvention. Most of the menu tends toward fairly conservative takes on classics, like well-seasoned crab cakes and thick, creamy chowder full of seafood. The handful of ethnic experiments on the menu are among its most vibrant offerings, including a Mediterranean fish stew that takes inspiration from the North African coast. Tender, fluffy couscous soaks up a fier y but sweet tomato sauce that showcases chiles and peppercorns, golden raisins, and lovely firm cashews, and the stew itself is packed with mussels, shrimp, and chunks of fish.

3036 Madison Rd., Oakley, (513) 631-3474, oakleyfishhouse.com. Lunch Fri–Sun, dinner Tues–Sun. MCC. $$$

STEAKS

CARLO & JOHNNY

The stars of the menu are 12 delectable steaks that could sway the vegi-curious to recommit. Not sure which to choose? If you prefer brawny flavor over buttery texture, go for one of the three bone-in rib cuts. Or if it’s that meltin-your-mouth experience that raises your serotonin levels, C&J features several tenderloin cuts, including the premium six-ounce Wagyu filet. There are the usual suspects of raw

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bar, seafood, pork chops, et al, if you’re interested in non-beef alternatives.

9769 Montgomery Rd., Montgomery, (513) 936-8600, jeffruby.com/carlo-johnny. Dinner seven days. MCC. $$$$

Top10 LOSANTI

A bit more upscale than its sister restaurant, Crown Republic Gastropub, Losanti is also more conservative in its offerings. Service is friendly and informal, and though the meal feels like a special occasion, prices and atmosphere are right for, say, a date, rather than a wedding anniversary. The filet mignon, rib eye, and New York strip are cut to order for each table (there are a few available weights for each). The steaks themselves are totally irreproachable, perfectly seasoned, cooked to precisely the right point. Losanti even makes the steakhouse sides a little special. Sweet and smoky caramelized onions are folded into the mashed potatoes, a nice dusting of truffles wakes up the mac and cheese, and the sweet corn—yes, totally out of season, but still good—is at least freshly cut off the cob and recalls elote with lime and chile.

1401 Race St., Over-the-Rhine, (513) 246-4213, losantiotr.com. Dinner Mon–Sat. MCC. $$$

JAG’S STEAK AND SEAFOOD

Chef Michelle Brown’s food is deeply flavored, if occasionally a bit busy, her steaks of the butterymild variety, with not too much salty char crust. All five cuts are served with veal demi-glace and

fried onion straws. According to my steak-centric dining partner, his cowboy ribeye is “too tender and uniform” (as if that’s a crime). “I like to wrestle with the bone,” he adds, though that’s a scenario that, thankfully, doesn’t get played out in this subdued dining room.

5980 West Chester Rd., West Chester, (513) 860-5353, jags.com. Dinner Tues–Sat. MCC, DC. $$$

JEFF RUBY’S

Filled most nights with local scenesters and power brokers (and those who think they are), everything in this urban steakhouse is generous—from the portions to the expert service. White-jacketed waiters with floor-length aprons deliver two-fisted martinis and mounds of greens dressed in thin vinaigrettes or thick, creamy emulsions. An occasional salmon or sea bass appears, and there’s a small but decent assortment of land fare. But most customers, even the willowy model types, inhale slabs of beef (dry aged USDA prime) like they’re dining in a crack house for carnivores. The best of these is Jeff Ruby’s Cowboy, 22 ounces of 70-day dry-aged bone-in rib eye. This is steak tailor-made for movers and shakers.

505 Vine St., downtown, (513) 784-1200, jeffruby.com. Dinner Mon–Sat. MCC, DC. $$$$

MORTON’S THE STEAKHOUSE

No one has replicated the concept of an expensive boys’ club better than Morton’s. Amid the dark polished woods and white linen, the Riedel stemware and stupendous flower arrangements, assorted suits grapple with double cut filet mignons, 24 ounces of porterhouse, pink shiny slabs of prime rib, overflowing plates of salty Lyonnaise potatoes, or mammoth iceberg wedges frosted

with thick blue cheese dressing. Jumbo is Morton’s decree: Oversized martini and wine glasses, ethereal towering lemon soufflés, roomy chairs, and tables large enough for a plate and a laptop. Even steaks billed as “slightly smaller” weigh in at 8 to 10 ounces.

441 Vine St., downtown, (513) 621-3111, mortons.com. Dinner seven days. MCC. $$$

Top10 THE PRECINCT

Part of the appeal of the Ruby restaurants is their ability to deliver deep, comfort-food satisfaction. And the steaks. The meat is tender with a rich mineral flavor, and the signature seasoning provided a nice crunch, not to mention blazing heat. The supporting cast is strong—the basket of warm Tribeca Oven bread with a mushroom truffle butter, the addictive baked macaroni and cheese, the creamy garlic mashed potatoes, the crisp-tender asparagus with roasted garlic and lemon vinaigrette—and dinner ends on a sweet note with a piece of Ruby family recipe cheesecake. Neither cloyingly sweet nor overwhelmingly creamy, it’s a lovely slice of restraint.

311 Delta Ave., Columbia-Tusculum, (513) 321-5454, jeffruby.com/precinct. Dinner seven days. MCC. $$$$

TONY’S

He is a captivating presence, Tony Ricci. Best known for his 30 years in fine dining—including the Jeff Ruby empire while managing the venerable Precinct—Ricci has built a life in the hospitality industry. Much of Tony’s menu is right out of a steakhouse playbook: jumbo shrimp and king crab legs from the raw bar; Caprese, Greek, and Caesar salads; sides of creamed spinach, macand-cheese, asparagus, and sautéed mushrooms;

WILD ONES

David and Lydia Jackman’s pasta parties will go from a weekends-only pop-up to a fullservice brick-andmortar location this fall. Wildweed, whose menu will featured handmade pastas, is scheduled to open as a 64-seat restaurant (which includes an 11-seat “chef’s counter”) in a space at 13th and Walnut. instagram.com/ wildweed.cinci

toppings of roasted garlic or Gorgonzola butters to accompany your center cut of filet mignon. There are boutique touches, though, that make it stand out—a garlic herb aioli with the calamari, steak tartare torch-kissed and topped with a poached egg, a superb rack of lamb rubbed with aromatic sumac and served with mint pesto.

12110 Montgomery Rd., Symmes Township, (513) 6778669, tonysofcincinnati.com. Dinner seven days. MCC, DS. $$$$

THAI

GREEN PAPAYA

Inside this simple dining room, replete with soothing browns and greens and handsome, dark wood furniture, it takes time to sort through the many curries and chef’s specialties, not to mention the wide variety of sushi on the something-for-everyone menu. Have the staff—friendly, attentive, and knowledgeable—help you. When the food arrives, you’ll need only a deep inhale to know you made the right choice. The Green Papaya sushi rolls are as delicious as they look, with a manic swirl of spicy mayo and bits of crabstick and crispy tempura batter scattered atop the spicy tuna, mango, cream cheese, and shrimp tempura sushi—all rolled in a vivid green soybean wrap.

2942 Wasson Rd., Oakley, (513) 731-0107, greenpapayacincinnati.com. Lunch Mon–Sat, dinner seven days. MCC. $$

SUKHOTHAI

Nestled in the nearly hidden Market Place Lane, this tiny restaurant isn’t exactly slick. A chalkboard lists the day’s specials, usually spicy dishes worthy of an adventurous diner. But if it’s noodle dishes and curries you’re after, Sukhothai’s pad kee mao—wide rice noodles stir-fried

with basil—is the best around. Served slightly charred, the fresh and dried chilies provide enough heat to momentarily suspend your breath. Pad Thai has the right amount of crunch from peanuts, slivers of green onion, and mung sprouts to contrast with the slippery glass noodles, and a few squeezes of fresh lime juice give it a splendid tartness. The crispy tamarind duck is one of the best house specials, the meat almost spreadably soft under the papery skin and perfectly complemented by the sweet-tart bite of tamarind.

8102 Market Place Lane, Montgomery, (513) 794-0057, sukhothaicincin.com. Lunch Tues–Fri, dinner Tues–Sat. DS, MC, V. $

TEAK THAI

Owner Chanaka De Lanerolle has said that he decided to bring back Teak’s take on Thai food because of the renewed vibrancy in Over-the-Rhine, which he compared to the energy he felt in Mt. Adams during his time there. But for all of the hype around the restaurant’s re-emergence on the scene, it’s probably best to consider it a reimagining rather than a reopening. While long-time favorites show up on the menu, prepared by many of the same kitchen staff members from Mt. Adams, some adaptations have been made to better meet expectations of modern diners. Letting go of preconceived notions about Teak will serve you well.

1200 Race St., Over-the-Rhine, (513) 421-8325, teakotr. com. Lunch and dinner Tues–Sun. MCC. $$

WILD GINGER

Wild Ginger Asian Bistro’s ability to satisfy a deep desire for Vietnamese and Thai fusion cuisine is evidenced by their signature Hee Ma roll—a fortress of seaweed-wrapped rolls filled with shrimp tempura, asparagus, avocado, and topped with red tuna, pulled crab stick, tempura flakes, a bit of masago, scallions, and of course, spicy mayo. It’s tasty, even though the sweet fried floodwall of tempura and spicy mayo overpowered the tuna completely. The spicy pad char entrée was a solid seven out of 10: broccoli, carrots, cab-

bage, succulent red bell peppers, green beans, and beef, accented with basil and lime leaves in a peppercorn-andchili brown sauce.

3655 Edwards Rd., Hyde Park, (513) 533-9500, wildgingercincy.com. Lunch and dinner Mon–Sun. MCC, DS. $$

VIETNAMESE

PHO LANG THANG

Owners Duy and Bao Nguyen and David Le have created a greatest hits playlist of Vietnamese cuisine: elegant, brothy pho made from poultry, beef, or vegan stocks poured over rice noodles and adrift with slices of onions, meats, or vegetables (the vegan pho chay is by far the most flavorful); fresh julienned vegetables, crunchy sprouts, and herbs served over vermicelli rice noodles (again, the vegan version, bun chay, is the standout); and bánh mì. Be sure to end with a cup of Vietnamese coffee, a devilish jolt of dark roast and sweetened condensed milk.

1828 Race St., Over-the-Rhine, (513) 376-9177, pholangthang.com. Lunch and dinner seven days. MCC, DS, DC. $

CINCINNATI MAGAZINE, (ISSN 0746-8 210), July 2023, Volume 56, Number 10.

Published monthly ($19.95 for 12 issues annually) at 1818 Race St., Ste. 301, Cincinnati, OH 45202. (513) 421-4300. Copyright © 2023 by Cincinnati Magazine LLC, a subsidiary of Hour Media Group, 5750 New King Dr., Ste. 100, Troy, MI 48098. All rights reserved. No part of this magazine may be reproduced or reprinted without permission. Unsolicited manuscripts, photographs, and artwork should be accompanied by SASE for return. The magazine cannot be held responsible for loss. For subscription orders, address changes or renewals, write to CINCINNATI MAGAZINE, 1965 E. Avis Dr., Madison Heights, MI 48071, or call 1-866-6606247. Periodicals postage paid at Cincinnati, Ohio, and additional mailing offices. Postmaster: Please send forms 3579 to CINCINNATI MAGAZINE, 1965 E. Avis Dr., Madison Heights, MI 48071. If the Postal Service alerts us that your magazine is undeliverable, we have no further obligation unless we receive a corrected address within one year.

Silver Screen Icon

IT’S BEEN CALLED BOTH “THE CROWN JEWEL OF BELLEVUE” AND A “$1.2 MILLION HOT POtato.” But despite its status as a beloved local landmark on the National Register of Historic Places, the Marianne Theater is still waiting for its big revival. Built in the 1940s, the singlescreen theater was, for decades, a go-to destination for Northern Kentucky movie-goers. When megaplexes and big-name blockbusters shuttered many small, local theaters in the 1980s and early ’90s, the Marianne stubbornly hung on, showing films until the turn of the century, when it was finally shuttered. The inside of the 500-plus-seat theater (now owned by the city) is frozen in a bygone era, stuck in the age of Austin Powers and Varsity Blues , but its colorful Art Deco facade, complete with neon lettering and a freestanding box office, remains a Fairfield Avenue staple. Could redevelopment be on the horizon? It’s tough to say. In 2015, there were tentative plans to turn the theater into a brewery. A few years later, there were whispers that the Marianne would be reborn as an event space à la Oakley’s 20th Century Theater. But more than two decades since the Marianne ran its final reel, the theater is still waiting to get its sequel.